crash

crash¹

—crasher, n.

/krash/, v.i.

1. to make a loud, clattering noise, as of something dashed to pieces.

2. to break or fall to pieces with noise.

3. (of moving vehicles, objects, etc.) to collide, esp. violently and noisily.

4. to move or go with a crash; strike with a crash.

5. Aeron. to land in an abnormal manner, usually causing severe damage: The airliner crashed.

6. to collapse or fail suddenly, as a financial enterprise: The stock market crashed.

7. Informal. to gain admittance to a party, performance, etc., without an invitation, ticket, or permission.

8. Slang.

a. to sleep.

b. to have a temporary place to sleep or live without payment: He let me crash at his house.

c. to fall asleep: I get home in the evening and I just crash till it's time for dinner.

9. Slang. to experience unpleasant sensations, as sudden exhaustion or depression, when a drug, esp. an amphetamine, wears off.

10. Med. Slang. to suffer cardiac arrest.

11. Ecol. (of a population) to decline rapidly.

12. Computers. to shut down because of a malfunction of hardware or software.

v.t.

13. to break into pieces violently and noisily; shatter.

14. to force or drive with violence and noise (usually fol. by in, through, out, etc.).

15. Aeron. to cause (an aircraft) to make a landing in an abnormal manner, usually damaging or wrecking the aircraft.

16. Informal.

a. to gain admittance to, even though uninvited: to crash a party.

b. to enter without a ticket, permission, etc.: to crash the gate at a football game.

n.

17. a sudden loud noise, as of something being violently smashed or struck: the crash of thunder.

18. a breaking or falling to pieces with loud noise: the sudden crash of dishes.

19. a collision or crashing, as of automobiles, trains, etc.

20. the shock of collision and breaking.

21. a sudden and violent falling to ruin.

22. a sudden general collapse of a business enterprise, prosperity, the stock market, etc.: the crash of 1929.

23. Aeron. an act or instance of crashing.

24. Ecol. a sudden, rapid decline in the size of a population.

adj.

25. characterized by an intensive effort, esp. to deal with an emergency, meet a deadline, etc.: a crash plan to house flood victims; a crash diet.

[1350-1400; 1920-25 def. 16; 1870-75 for def. 22; ME crasche, b. crase to break (see CRAZE) and masche MASH]

Syn. 13. smash. 21. failure, ruin.

crash²

/krash/, n.

1. a plain-weave fabric of rough, irregular, or lumpy yarns, for toweling, dresses, etc.

2. Bookbinding. starched cotton fabric used to reinforce the spine of a bound book.

[1805-15; prob. < Russ krashenína painted or dyed coarse linen, equiv. to kráshen(yi) painted (ptp. of krásit' to paint) + -ina n. suffix]

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▪ cloth

      any of several rugged fabrics made from yarns that are irregular, firm, strong, and smooth but sometimes raw and unprocessed. Included are gray, bleached, boiled, plain, twill, and fancy-weave crash. The coarsest type is called Russian crash. Linen is generally used for the warp yarn, while linen, jute, or a mixture of linen and jute is used for the filler. Plain weave is normally employed, but twill is sometimes used.

      Crash may or may not be made with novel or fancy borders, and it is sold in white or natural shades or in dyed colours. It is used for toweling, draperies and other decorative cloths, dresses, caps, summer suits, and sport coats.

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