crank

Everyday

1. (noun) A handle or bar bent at a right angle that you turn round and round to make a machine work, like on an old car engine, a pencil sharpener or a jack-in-the-box. tree →
2. (noun, informal) A person with strange, fixed ideas who will not listen to evidence: «a crank who thinks the Earth is flat». tree →
3. (noun, US, informal) A grumpy, bad-tempered person. tree →
4. (verb) To turn a crank to start or move something: «crank the handle». tree →
5. (verb, informal) Crank up: to turn up the volume, heat or power: «crank up the music». tree →
6. (slang, US) Crank: a slang name for an illegal drug (methamphetamine) — dangerous and against the law. tree →

In the lessons

In science and D&T lessons about simple machines, a crank turns rotation into back-and-forth motion (and the other way), as in bicycle pedals (the cranks) or a wind-up toy. In stories and comedy, a «crank call» is a prank phone call. Phrases: «crank the handle», «crank up», «crank out» (produce lots quickly), «crank call», «a bit of a crank».

Examples

• In the old days, drivers had to crank the engine by hand. tree →
• The pedals of a bike are attached to cranks. tree →
• Turn the crank and the music box plays. tree →
• Can you crank up the heating? It's freezing. tree →
• Some cranks still claim the Earth is flat. tree →
• Grandpa is a bit of a crank before his morning coffee. tree →
• The factory cranks out thousands of toys a day. tree →
• Don't make crank calls; it is mean and can be illegal. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a crank, cranks. «Cranky» (adjective) means grumpy or irritable. Calling a person a «crank» is unkind. The drug sense is US slang; illegal drugs are dangerous. Related: «crankshaft», the part of an engine that turns.