crank

[krangk]

noun

Machinery. any of several types of arms or levers for imparting rotary or oscillatory motion to a rotating shaft, one end of the crank being fixed to the shaft and the other end receiving reciprocating motion from a hand, connecting rod, etc.

Informal. an ill-tempered, grouchy person.

an unbalanced person who is overzealous in the advocacy of a private cause.

an eccentric or whimsical notion.

a strikingly clever turn of speech or play on words.

Archaic. a bend; turn.

Slang. the nasal decongestant propylhexedrine, used illicitly for its euphoric effects.

Automotive Slang. a crankshaft.

verb (used with object)

to bend into or make in the shape of a crank.

to furnish with a crank.

Machinery. to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank.

to start (an internal-combustion engine) by turning the crankshaft manually or by means of a small motor.

to start the engine of (a motor vehicle) by turning the crankshaft manually.

verb (used without object)

to turn a crank, as in starting an automobile engine.

Obsolete. to turn and twist; zigzag.

adjective

unstable; shaky; unsteady.

of, relating to, or by an unbalanced or overzealous person: a crank phone call; crank mail.

British Dialect. cranky¹(def 5).

Verb Phrases

crank down, to cause to diminish or terminate: the president's efforts to crank down inflation.

crank in/into, to incorporate as an integral part: Overhead is cranked into the retail cost.

crank out, to make or produce in a mass-production, effortless, or mechanical way: She's able to crank out one best-selling novel after another.

crank up, Informal.

to get started or ready: The theater season is cranking up with four benefit performances.
to stimulate, activate, or produce: to crank up enthusiasm for a new product.
to increase one's efforts, output, etc.: Industry began to crank up after the new tax incentives became law.

Origin of crank

before 1000; Middle English cranke, Old English cranc-, in crancstǣf crank (see staff¹)

Related formscrank·less, adjectivenon·crank·ing, adjectiveun·cranked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for crank in

crank

noun

a device for communicating motion or for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa. It consists of an arm projecting from a shaft, often with a second member attached to it parallel to the shaft

Also called: crank handle, starting handle a handle incorporating a crank, used to start an engine or motor

informal

an eccentric or odd person, esp someone who stubbornly maintains unusual views
US and Canadiana bad-tempered person

verb

(tr) to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank

(tr) to start (an engine, motor, etc) by means of a crank handle

(tr) to bend, twist, or make into the shape of a crank

(intr) obsolete to twist or wind

Word Origin for crank

Old English cranc; related to Middle Low German krunke wrinkle, Dutch krinkel crinkle

crank

cranky

adjective

(of a sailing vessel) easily keeled over by the wind; tender

Word Origin for crank

C17: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to crank 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for crank in

crank

Old English *cranc, implied in crancstæf "a weaver's instrument," crencestre "female weaver, spinster," from Proto-Germanic base *krank-, and related to crincan "to bend, yield" (see crinkle, cringe). English retains the literal sense of the ancient root, while German and Dutch krank "sick," formerly "weak, small," is a figurative use.

The sense of "an eccentric person," especially one who is irrationally fixated, is first recorded 1833, said to be from the crank of a barrel organ, which makes it play the same tune over and over; but more likely a back-formation from cranky (q.v.). Meaning "methamphetamine" attested by 1989.

crank

1590s, "to zig-zag," from crank (n.). Meaning "to turn a crank" is first attested 1908, with reference to automobile engines. Related: Cranked; cranking.

Idioms and Phrases with crank in

crank in

Factor in, integrate, as in We'll have to crank in both state and federal taxes when we make our plans. [Slang; 1960s]