crank1
¦ verb
1. turn a crankshaft or handle, especially in order to start an engine.
2. (crank something up) informal increase the intensity of something.
3. (crank something out) informal, derogatory produce something regularly and routinely.
4. give a bend to (a shaft or bar).
¦ noun a part of an axle or shaft bent out at right angles, for converting reciprocal to circular motion and vice versa.
Origin
OE
cranc, related to
crincan (see
cringe).
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crank2
¦ noun
1. a person with eccentric or obsessive views.
N. Amer. a bad-tempered person.
2. literary a fanciful turn of speech.
Origin
back-form. from
cranky; sense 2 is perh. from a base meaning 'bent together, curled
up', shared by
crank1.
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crank3
¦ adjective Nautical, archaic (of a sailing ship) liable to heel over.
Origin
C17: perh. from dialect crank 'weak, shaky'.