Also 4 crassche, 5 craschyn, crayschyn, 5–6 crasshe. [An onomatopæic word having the same relation to crack that clash has to clack and clap: see CLASH, DASH. There are possible associations also with crase, craze (though here the a has been long, and the s pronounced as z prob. from the 14th c.). The mod.Scandinavian langs. show Icel. krassa ‘perfricare, dilacerare’ (Haldors.), Sw. krasa, Da. krase to crackle, and the phrases Sw. slå i kras, Da. gå i kras to dash in pieces, break to shivers; but these are app. only analogous formations.]
1. trans. To break in pieces with violence and noise; to dash in pieces, shiver, shatter, smash. (Now somewhat rare.)
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1109. The creest and þe coronalle … with his clubb he crasschede doune.
1535. Coverdale, Amos ii. 13. Beholde, I wil crasshe you in sonder.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Crash, to kill.
1718. Pope, Iliad, IV. 602. The pond’rous stone … crashed the solid bone.
1840. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, lix. Crashing the branches as he went.
1849. Robertson, Serm., 1st Ser. x. (1866), 171. The tempest that crashes down the forest.
1854. Landor, Lett. American, 41. To see the valorous and adventurous crasht by the portentous concurrence of brute matter.
† b. fig. To discuss with violence and noise; to ‘thrash out.’ Obs. rare.
a. 1670. Hacket, Abp. Williams, II. (1692), 42. He thought them [Calvinistic controversies] … worthy of crashing in the Schools, but not in the Church.
c. To force or drive with a crash or with crashing; to cause to come or go with a crash.
1831. Carlyle, in Froude, Life (1882), II. 172. Two women literally crashing hoarse thunder out of a piano.
1866. Kingsley, Herew., I. ii. 97. Two other knights crashed their horses through the brushwood.
2. intr. To break or fall to pieces with noise, as when dashed down or violently struck; to smash, break up. rare. (First quot. of doubtful sense.)
1535. Coverdale, Amos ii. 13. Like as a wayne crassheth, yt is full of sheaues.
1803. J. Bryant, in Naval Chron., IX. 240. At the first blow his head crashed.
b. To move or go with crashing.
1694. Acct. Sev. Late Voy., II. (1711), 44. Crashing and grinding against each other.
1856. Stanley, Sinai & Pal., I. (1858), 89. The rocks … overlap, and crumble, and crack, as if they would crash over you.
1860. T. Martin, trans. Horace, 179. He crash’d through the fray with his terrible spear.
1870. Lowell, Study Wind. (1886), 24. Some … hand would crash through them and leave them dangling brokenly.
† 3. a. trans. To strike (the teeth) together with noise; to gnash. Obs.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 100. Craschyn, as tethe, fremo, frondeo.
1530. Palsgr., 501/1. I knowe a foole that wyll crasshe his tethe togyther.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, VII. xlii. 125. He shakt his head and crasht his teeth for ire.
1646. F. Hawkins, Youth’s Behav. (1663), 2. Rub not thy teeth nor crash them.
† b. To crash with the teeth, in same sense. Obs.
1530. Palsgr., 500/2. I crasshe with my tethe togyther, je grinche.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 1575. He crasheth terribly with his teeth.
† c. To crush with the teeth; to CRAUNCH.
1530. Palsgr., 501/1. Herke howe he crassheth these grystels bytwene his tethe.
1589. Fleming, Virg. Georg., II. 21. Swine haue also crasht and bro-ken akorns vnder elmes.
1614. T. Adams, Devil’s Banquet, 147. A Lyon shall crash their bones.
1622. Bp. Hall, Serm., Wks. (1627), 493. Some crashed in peeces by the teeth of lions.
1730–6. [see CRAUNCH].
† d. intr. (for passive) To go to pieces noisily between the teeth. Obs.
1515. Barclay, Egloges, II. (1570), B iij/2. Betwene thy tethe oft time the coles crashes.
1530. Palsgr., 501/1. I crasshe, as a thynge dothe that is cryspe or britell bytwene ones tethe, je crespe.
4. To make the noise that a hard body does when dashed to pieces or smashed; to make a loud confused noise as of many hard bodies dashing and breaking together. † Formerly also, to make a crackling noise.
1563. Fulke, Meteors (1640), 67 b. Tinne is … very porose … which causeth it to crash, when it is broken or bitten.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 20. Crash do the rent tacklings [stridorque rudentum].
1653. H. More, Antid. Ath. (1662), 99. Something yet crash’d in his belly, as if there were a Bag of Glass in it.
a. 1771. Gray, Wks. (1807), I. 41. Pikes must shiver … Hauberk crash, and helmet ring.
1822. Byron, Vis. Judgm., lix. Here crash’d a sturdy oath of stout John Bull.
1864. Skeat, trans. Uhland’s Poems, 69. O’erhead the rolling thunders crash.
5. The vb. stem is used adverbially, usually with the vb. go: cf. bang, etc.
1760. Goldsm., Cit. W., xiv. (1837), 54. Crash went half-a-dozen dragons upon the marble hearthstone.
1805. Southey, Madoc in Azt., vi. Crash with that, The Image fell.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., vii. (1889), 61. Crash went the slight deal boards.
