crusty

American  

[kruhs-tee] / ˈkrʌs ti /

adjective

crustier, crustiest

1. having a crisp or thick crust.

   a loaf of crusty French bread.

2. of the nature of or resembling a crust.

3. harsh; surly; rude.

   a crusty remark.

   Synonyms:

   brusque, curt, touchy, prickly, testy

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crusty British  

/ ˈkrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. having or characterized by a crust, esp having a thick crust

2. having a rude or harsh character or exterior; surly; curt

   a crusty remark

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noun

1. slang a dirty type of punk or hippy whose lifestyle involves travelling and squatting

Other Word Forms

• crustily adverb
• crustiness noun

Etymology

Origin of crusty

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; crust, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. James also has a challenging role as the crusty salt who curses “dat ole davil sea” almost as many times as Hickey drones on about “pipe dreams” in “The Iceman Cometh.”

From The Wall Street Journal

I tore through half a bottle in a week—drizzling it over salads, spooning it onto seafood, and, of course, dunking torn-up hunks of crusty French bread.

From Salon

There were ham sandwiches on crusty brown bread, and cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches on white bread with the crusts trimmed off.

From Literature

We’ve all seen many iterations of the crusty old coach instructing his young charge in the tricks of the sport.

From The Wall Street Journal

We ordered what I consider to be the perfect lunch: mussels poached in white wine and herbs, slices of crusty country loaf griddled in olive oil, and a plate of frites with aioli.

From Salon

Related Words

• brusque
• cranky
• gruff
• irascible
• prickly
• sarcastic