crank

adj : (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail

[syn: {cranky}, {tender}, {tippy}]

n 1: a bad-tempered person [syn: {grouch}, {grump}, {churl}, {crosspatch}]

2: a whimsically eccentric person [syn: {crackpot}, {nut}, {nutcase},

{fruitcake}, {screwball}]

3: rotating shaft with parallel handle [syn: {starter}]

v 1: travel along a zigzag path: "The river zigzags through the

countryside" [syn: {zigzag}]

2: start by cranking; of engines [syn: {crank up}]

3: rotate with a crank [syn: {crank up}]

4: fasten with a crank

5: bend into the shape of a crank

crank

(Automotive slang) Verb used to describe the performance of a

machine, especially sustained performance. "This box cranks

(or, cranks at) about 6 megaflops, with a burst mode of twice

that on vectorised operations."

[{Jargon File}]

(1994-12-01)