cracking
adj 1: making a loud sharp sound as of a rifle shot or a breaking
branch or a whip; "lion tamers with their cracking
whips"
2: (informal) very good; "a bully pulpit"; "a cool sports car";
"had a great time at the party"; "you look simply
smashing" [syn: {bang-up}, {bully}, {cool}, {corking}, {dandy},
{great}, {groovy}, {keen}, {neat}, {nifty}, {not bad(p)},
{peachy}, {slap-up}, {swell}, {smashing}]
n 1: a sudden sharp noise; "the crack of a whip"; "he heard the
cracking of the ice" [syn: {crack}]
2: the act of cracking something [syn: {fracture}, {crack}]
3: the process whereby heavy molecules of naphtha or petroleum
are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular
weight (especially in the oil-refining process)