[A word imitating the sound made in eating moderately firm and ‘short’ substances, or in walking over slightly compressed snow, greater firmness and less brittleness being implied than in the use of crunch or crush. There is possibly some association with CRUMP a.2; cf. also CRUMPLE v. 6.] trans. and intr.
1. To eat with an abrupt but somewhat dulled sound; applied esp. to horses or pigs when feeding.
1646. H. More, Pref. Verses, in J. Hall’s Poems. A Pig, that roots In Jury-land or crumps Arabick roots.
1760. Miss Talbot, in Lett. w. Miss Carter (1809), II. 357. Two years ago I could as easily have eat an Elephant as a sea biscuit, which I now crump again very comfortably.
a. 1825. Forby, Crump, to eat anything brittle or crimp.
1827. Clare, Sheph. Cal., Aug., 74. The restless hogs will … crump adown the mellow and the green.
[1878. Cumbrld. Gloss., Crump, the sound of horses’ teeth when eating.]
2. Applied to the sound made by the feet in crushing slightly frozen snow; and to the action that produces it. Cf. CRUMPLE v. 6.
1789. D. Davidson, Seasons, 133 (Jam.). To the pliant foot … the grassy path crumps sonorous. Ibid., 151. Close upon her snow-cap’d haunt … watchful lest his crumping tread Should her untimely rouse.
1820. Clare, Poems Rural Life, Addr. to Plenty. And upon the crumping snows Stamps, in vain, to warm his toes.
3. To strike with a brisk or abrupt effect.
[There is a certain analogy of manner between this and the prec. senses.]
1850–60. [In use at Cricket].
1879. Jamieson’s Dict., Crump, to smack, to thwack, as ‘he’s crumpit my croun wi’ his stick.’
1889. Boy’s Own Paper, 4 May, 496/1. Let me see The way well pitched up balls to crump.
1892. Sat. Rev., 2 Jan., 12/2. We could slog to square-leg, or crump to the off.
