Crotch Crotch noun (Billiards) In the three-ball carom game, a small space at each corner of the table. See Crotched , below.

Crotch Crotch transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Crotched ; present participle & verbal noun Crotch"ing .] 1. To provide with a crotch; to give the form of a crotch to; as, to crotch the ends of ropes in splicing or tying knots.

2. (Logging) To notch (a log) on opposite sides to provide a grip for the dogs in hauling. [ Western, U. S.]

Crotch chain Crotch chain (Logging) A form of tackle for loading a log sideways on a sled, skidway, etc.

Crotched Crotched adjective 1. Having a crotch; forked.

2. Cross; peevish. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Crotched Crotched adjective (Billiards) Lying within a crotch; -- said of the object balls in the three- ball carom game whenever the centers of both lie within a 4½- inch square at a corner of the table, in which case but three counts are allowed unless one or both balls be forced out of the crotch.

Crotchet Crotch"et noun [ French crochet , prop., a little hook, a dim. from the same source as croc hook. See Crook , and confer Crochet , Crocket , Crosier .] 1. A forked support; a crotch.

The crotchets of their cot in columns rise.
Dryden.

2. (Mus.) A time note, with a stem, having one fourth the value of a semibreve, one half that of a minim, and twice that of a quaver; a quarter note.

3. (Fort.) An indentation in the glacis of the covered way, at a point where a traverse is placed.

4. (Mil.) The arrangement of a body of troops, either forward or rearward, so as to form a line nearly perpendicular to the general line of battle.

5. (Print.) A bracket. See Bracket .

6. (Medicine) An instrument of a hooked form, used in certain cases in the extraction of a fetus. Dunglison.

7. A perverse fancy; a whim which takes possession of the mind; a conceit.

He ruined himself and all that trusted in him by crotchets that he could never explain to any rational man.
De Quincey.

Crotchet Crotch"et intransitive verb To play music in measured time. [ Obsolete] Donne.

Crotcheted Crotch"et·ed adjective Marked or measured by crotchets; having musical notation. Harmar (1587).

Crotchetiness Crotch"et·i·ness noun The state or character of being crotchety, or whimsical.

This belief in rightness is a kind of conscientiousness, and when it degenerates it becomes crotchetiness .
J. Grote.

Crotchety Crotch"et·y adjective Given to crotchets; subject to whims; as, a crotchety man.

Croton Cro"ton noun [ Greek ............, prop., a tick, which the seed of the croton resembles.] (Botany) A genus of euphorbiaceous plants belonging to tropical countries.

Croton oil (Medicine) , a viscid, acrid, brownish yellow oil obtained from the seeds of Croton Tiglium , a small tree of the East Indies. It is a most powerful drastic cathartic, and is used externally as a pustulant.

Croton bug Cro"ton bug` (b?g`). [ From the Croton water of New York.] (Zoology) A small, active, winged species of cockroach ( Ectobia Germanica ), the water bug. It is common aboard ships, and in houses in cities, esp. in those with hot-water pipes.

Crotonic Cro·ton"ic adjective Of or pertaining to, or derived from, a plant of the genus Croton , or from croton oil.

Crotonic acid (Chemistry) , a white crystalline organic acid, C ₃ H ₅ .CO ₂ H, of the ethylene, or acrylic acid series. It was so named because formerly supposed to exist in croton oil. Also, any acid metameric with crotonic acid proper.

» The acid characteristic of croton oil is tiglic or tiglinic acid , a derivative of crotonic acid .

Crotonine Cro"ton·ine noun (Chemistry) A supposed alkaloid obtained from croton oil by boiling it with water and magnesia, since found to be merely a magnesia soap of the oil. Watts.

Crotonylene Cro·ton"y·lene noun [ Crotonic + acet- ylene .] (Chemistry) A colorless, volatile, pungent liquid, C ₄ H ₆ , produced artificially, and regarded as an unsaturated hydrocarbon of the acetylene series, and analogous to crotonic acid.

Crottles Crot"tles noun plural [ Gael. crotal .] A name given to various lichens gathered for dyeing. [ Scot.]

Crouch Crouch (krouch; 129) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Crouched (kroucht); present participle & verbal noun Crouching .] [ Middle English cruchen , crouchen , crouken ; confer English creep , G. krauchen , kriechen , or English crook to bend, also crouch to cross.] 1. To bend down; to stoop low; to lie close to the ground with the logs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey, or in fear.

Now crouch like a cur.
Beau. & Fl.

2. To bend servilely; to stoop meanly; to fawn; to cringe. "A crouching purpose." Wordsworth.

Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humor?
Shak.

Crouch Crouch transitive verb [ Middle English cruchen , crouchen , from cruche , crouche , cross. Confer Crosier , Crook .] 1. To sign with the cross; to bless. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

2. To bend, or cause to bend, as in humility or fear.

She folded her arms across her chest,
And crouched her head upon her breast.
Colerige.

Crouched Crouched (kroucht) adjective Marked with the sign of the cross. [ Obsolete]

Crouched friar . See Crutched friar , under Crutched .

Croud Croud (kroud) noun (Mus.) See Crowd , a violin.

Crouke Crouke (krouk) noun A crock; a jar. [ Obsolete] Chauser.

Croup Croup noun [ French croupe hind quarters, croup, rump, of German or Icelandic origin; confer Icelandic kryppa hump; akin to Icelandic kroppr . Confer Crop .] The hinder part or buttocks of certain quadrupeds, especially of a horse; hence, the place behind the saddle.

So light to the croup the fair lady he swung,
So light to the saddle before her he sprung.
Sir W. Scott.

Croup Croup noun [ Scot. croup , confer croup , crowp , to croak, to cry or speak with a hoarse voice; confer also LG. kropp , German kropf , the crop or craw of a bird, and tumor on the anterior part of the neck, a wen, etc. Confer Crop .] (Medicine) An inflammatory affection of the larynx or trachea, accompanied by a hoarse, ringing cough and stridulous, difficult breathing; esp., such an affection when associated with the development of a false membrane in the air passages (also called membranous croup ). See False croup , under False , and Diphtheria .

Croupade Crou·pade" noun [ French, from croupe hind quarters.] (Man.) A leap in which the horse pulls up his hind legs toward his belly.

Croupal Croup"al adjective Croupy.

Crouper Croup"er noun See Crupper .

Croupier Crou"pi·er (kr......"p...-...r) noun [ F.; prop., one who sits on the croup, and hence, in the second place; an assistant. See 1st Croup .] 1. One who presides at a gaming table and collects the stakes.

2. One who, at a public dinner party, sits at the lower end of the table as assistant chairman.

Croupous Croup"ous adjective (Medicine) Relating to or resembling croup; especially, attended with the formation of a deposit or membrane like that found in membranous croup; as, croupous laryngitis.

Croupous pneumonia , pneumonia attended with deposition of fibrinous matter in the air vesicles of the lungs; ordinary acute pneumonia.

Croupy Croup"y adjective Of or pertaining to croup; resembling or indicating croup; as, a croupy cough.

Crouse Crouse adjective [ Etymol. uncertain.] Brisk; lively; bold; self-complacent. [ Scot.] Burns.

Croustade Crou`stade" noun [ French, from cro...te a crust, Old French crouste .] (Cookery) Bread baked in a mold, and scooped out, to serve minces upon. Bishop.

Crout Crout (krout) noun [ German kraut .] See Sourkrout .

Crouton Crou`ton" noun [ French cro...ton , from cro...te a crust.] (Cookery) Bread cut in various forms, and fried lightly in butter or oil, to garnish hashes, etc.

Crow Crow (krō) intransitive verb [ imperfect Crew (kru) or Crowed (krōd); past participle Crowed ( Crown (krōn), Obsolete); present participle & verbal noun Crowing .] [ Anglo-Saxon crāwan ; akin to Dutch kraijen , G. krähen , confer Lithuanian groti to croak. √24. Confer Crake .] 1. To make the shrill sound characteristic of a cock, either in joy, gayety, or defiance. "The cock had crown ." Bayron.

The morning cock crew loud.
Shak.

2. To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.

3. To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure.

The sweetest little maid,
That ever crowed for kisses.
Tennyson.

To crow over , to exult over a vanquished antagonist.

Sennacherib crowing over poor Jerusalem.
Bp. Hall.

Crow Crow noun [ Anglo-Saxon crāwe a crow (in sense 1); akin to D. kraai , German krähe ; confer Icelandic krāka crow. So named from its cry, from Anglo-Saxon crāwan to crow. See Crow , intransitive verb ]

1. (Zoology) A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus , having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles. It has a harsh, croaking note. See Caw .

» The common crow of Europe, or carrion crow, is C. corone . The common American crow is C. Americanus . See Carrion crow , and Illustr. , under Carrion .

2. A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.

Get me an iron crow , and bring it straight
Unto my cell.
Shak.

3. The cry of the cock. See Crow , intransitive verb , 1.

4. The mesentery of a beast; -- so called by butchers.

Carrion crow . See under Carrion . -- Crow blackbird (Zoology) , an American bird ( Quiscalus quiscula ); -- called also purple grackle . -- Crow pheasant (Zoology) , an Indian cuckoo; the common coucal. It is believed by the natives to give omens. See Coucal . -- Crow shrike (Zoology) , any bird of the genera Gymnorhina , Craticus , or Strepera , mostly from Australia. -- Red-legged crow . See Crough . -- As the crow flies , in a direct line. -- To pick a crow , To pluck a crow , to state and adjust a difference or grievance (with any one).

Crow-quill Crow"-quill` noun A quill of the crow, or a very fine pen made from such a quill.

Crow-silk Crow"-silk` noun (Botany) A filamentous fresh-water alga ( Conferva rivularis of Linnaeus, Rhizoclonium rivulare of Kutzing).

Crow-trodden Crow"-trod`den adjective Marked with crow's-feet, or wrinkles, about the eyes. [ Poetic]

Do I look as if I were crow-trodden ?
Beau. & FL.

Crow's-foot Crow's"-foot` noun ; plural Crow's-feet (-fēt`).

1. plural The wrinkles that appear, as the effect of age or dissipation, under and around the outer corners of the eyes. Tennyson.

2. (Mil.) A caltrop. [ Written also crowfoot .]

3. (Architecture) Same as Bird's- mouth . [ U.S.]

Crow's-nest Crow's-nest` noun (Nautical) A box or perch near the top of a mast, esp. in whalers, to shelter the man on the lookout.

Crowbar Crow"bar` noun A bar of iron sharpened at one end, and used as a lever.

Crowberry Crow`ber`ry noun (Botany) A heathlike plant of the genus Empetrum , and its fruit, a black, scarcely edible berry; - - also called crakeberry .

Crowd Crowd (kroud) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Crowded ; present participle & verbal noun Crowding .] [ Middle English crouden , cruden , Anglo-Saxon cr...dan ; confer D. kruijen to push in a wheelbarrow.] 1. To push, to press, to shove. Chaucer.

2. To press or drive together; to mass together. " Crowd us and crush us." Shak.

3. To fill by pressing or thronging together; hence, to encumber by excess of numbers or quantity.

The balconies and verandas were crowded with spectators, anxious to behold their future sovereign.
Prescott.

4. To press by solicitation; to urge; to dun; hence, to treat discourteously or unreasonably. [ Colloq.]

To crowd out , to press out; specifically, to prevent the publication of; as, the press of other matter crowded out the article. -- To crowd sail (Nautical) , to carry an extraordinary amount of sail, with a view to accelerate the speed of a vessel; to carry a press of sail.

Crowd Crowd intransitive verb 1. To press together or collect in numbers; to swarm; to throng.

The whole company crowded about the fire.
Addison.

Images came crowding on his mind faster than he could put them into words.
Macaulay.

2. To urge or press forward; to force one's self; as, a man crowds into a room.

Crowd Crowd noun [ Anglo-Saxon croda . See Crowd , transitive verb ] 1. A number of things collected or closely pressed together; also, a number of things adjacent to each other.

A crowd of islands.
Pope.

2. A number of persons congregated or collected into a close body without order; a throng.

The crowd of Vanity Fair.
Macaulay.

Crowds that stream from yawning doors.
Tennyson.

3. The lower orders of people; the populace; the vulgar; the rabble; the mob.

To fool the crowd with glorious lies.
Tennyson.

He went not with the crowd to see a shrine.
Dryden.

Syn. -- Throng; multitude. See Throng .

Crowd Crowd noun [ W. crwth ; akin to Gael. cruit . Perh. named from its shape, and akin to Greek kyrto`s curved, and E. curve . Confer Rote .] An ancient instrument of music with six strings; a kind of violin, being the oldest known stringed instrument played with a bow. [ Written also croud , crowth , cruth , and crwth .]

A lackey that . . . can warble upon a crowd a little.
B. Jonson.

Crowd Crowd transitive verb To play on a crowd; to fiddle. [ Obsolete] "Fiddlers, crowd on." Massinger.

Crowder Crowd"er noun One who plays on a crowd; a fiddler. [ Obsolete] "Some blind crowder ." Sir P. Sidney.

Crowder Crowd"er noun One who crowds or pushes.

Crowdy Crow"dy noun A thick gruel of oatmeal and milk or water; food of the porridge kind. [ Scot.]

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