Catch vs Crack - What's the difference?

Catch is a synonym of crack.

In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between catch and crack

is that catch is (obsolete) a type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch while crack is (obsolete) a boy, generally a pert, lively boy.

As nouns the difference between catch and crack

is that catch is (countable) the act of seizing or capturing (jump) while crack is (senseid)a thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.

As verbs the difference between catch and crack

is that catch is (lb) to capture, overtake while crack is (senseid)to form cracks.

As an adjective crack is

highly trained and competent.

catch

English

Noun

(countable) The act of seizing or capturing. (jump)

The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.

(countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.

The player made an impressive catch .

Nice catch !

(countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.

Good catch . I never would have remembered that.

(uncountable) The game of catching a ball. (jump)

The kids love to play catch .

(countable) A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.

Did you see his latest catch ?

He's a good catch .

(countable) Something which is captured or caught. (jump) (jump)

The fishermen took pictures of their catch .

The catch amounted to five tons of swordfish.

(countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.

She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.

(countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.

There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.

It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch ?

Be careful, that's a catch question.

(countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.

I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.

(countable) A fragment of music or poetry. (jump)

* {{quote-book, 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, chapter=The Tutor's Daughter, Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page=266 citation

, passage=In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.}}

(obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.

* {{quote-book, 1678,

, passage=You lie at the catch again: this is not for edification.}}

* T. Fuller

The common and the canon law lie at catch , and wait advantages one against another.

(countable, agriculture) A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.

* {{quote-book, 1905, , Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of Horticulture of the State of Oregon, page=204 citation

, passage=There was a good catch of rye and a good fall growth.}}

(obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.

* 1612 , John Smith, Map of Virginia , in Kupperman 1988, p. 158:

Fourteene miles Northward from the river Powhatan, is the river Pamaunke, which is navigable 60 or 70 myles, but with Catches and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles farther.

(countable, music) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.

* 1610 , , act 3 scene 2

Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch / You taught me but while-ere?

* {{quote-book, 1966, Allen Tate, T. S. Eliot: The Man and His Work, page=76 citation
, passage=One night, I remember, we sang a catch , written (words and music) by Orlo Williams, for three voices. }}
(countable, music) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse. (jump)

* {{quote-book, 2003, Robert Hugh Benson, Come Rack! Come Rope!, page=268 citation
, passage=The phrase repeated itself like the catch of a song. }}
(countable, cricket, baseball) The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.

* {{quote-news, 1997, May 10, Henry Blofeld, Cricket: Rose and Burns revive Somerset, The Independent citation
, passage=It was he who removed Peter Bowler with the help of a good catch at third slip.}}
(countable, cricket) A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.

* {{quote-news, 1894, September 16, , To Meet Lord Hawke's Team, The New York Times citation
, passage=
(countable, rowing) The first contact of an oar with the water.

* {{quote-news, 1935, June 7, Robert F. Kelley, California Crews Impress at Debut, The New York Times, page=29 citation
, passage= They are sitting up straighter, breaking their arms at the catch' and getting on a terrific amount of power at the ' catch with each stroke.}}
(countable, phonetics) A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.

* {{quote-book, 2006, Mitsugu Sakihara et al., Okinawan-English Wordbook citation
, passage=The glottal stop or glottal catch is the sound used in English in the informal words uh-huh 'yes' and uh-uh 'no'.}}
Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

* John Locke

It has been writ by catches with many intervals.

A slight remembrance; a trace.

* Glanvill

We retain a catch of those pretty stories.

Synonyms

* (jump) seizure, capture, collar, snatch * grasp, snatch * observation * prize, find; conquest, beau * (jump) haul, take * stop, chock; clasp, latch * snag, problem; trick, gimmick, hitch * (jump) snatch, fragment; snippet, bit * (jump) chorus, refrain, burden

Derived terms

* bycatch * catch fence * catchful * catchy * crowd catch

Verb

(lb) To capture, overtake.

#(lb) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). (jump)

#:

#(lb) To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.

#*1611 , :

#*:And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

# To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.

#*1933 , (Sinclair Lewis), Ann Vickers , p.108:

#*:The publicsaid that Miss Bogardus was a suffragist because she had never caught a man; that she wanted something, but it wasn't the vote.

#*2006 , Michael Collier and Georgia Machemer, Medea , p.23:

#*:As for Aspasia, concubinage with Pericles brought her as much honor as she could hope to claim in Athens..

#(lb) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.

#:

#*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 28, author=Jon Smith, work=BBC Sport
, title= Valencia 1-1 Chelsea , passage=The visitors started brightly and had an early chance when Valencia's experienced captain David Albeda gifted the ball to Fernando Torres, but the striker was caught by defender Adil Rami as he threatened to shoot.}}
#(lb) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.

#:

#(lb) To discover unexpectedly; to surprise (someone doing something).

#:

#(lb) To travel by means of.

#:

#*1987 , , In the Name of the Father , p.111:

#*:After about a kilometer I caught a taxi to Santa Croce.

#

#*2002 , Orpha Caton, Shadow on the Creek , pp.102-103:

#*:Had Nancy got caught with a child? If so she would destroy her parent's dreams for her.

(lb) To seize hold of.

#

#:

#*, III.2:

#*:Her aged Nourse, whose name was Glaucè hight, / Feeling her leape out of her loathed nest, / Betwixt her feeble armes her quickly keight .

#(lb) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.

#:

#(lb) To grip or entangle.

#:

#(lb) To be held back or impeded.

#:

#*

#*:Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

#(lb) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process. (jump)

#:

#(lb) To have something be held back or impeded.

#:

#(lb) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at).

#:

#(lb) Of fire, to spread or be conveyed to.

#:

#

#*1906 , Arthur W. Stevens, Practical Rowing with Scull and Sweep , p.63:

#*:Stop gathering, in that gradual fashion, and catch the water sharply and decisively.

#

#:

# To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.

#*2001 , John Lull, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue , p.203:

#*:If you are surfing a wave through the rocks, make sure you have a clear route before catching the wave.

#

#:

(lb) To intercept.

#(lb) To seize or intercept a object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium).

#:

#

#*1811 , (Jane Austen), (Sense and Sensibility) , :

#*:she internally resolved henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and of satisfying herself,.

#

#:

#

#:

(lb) To receive (by being in the way).

#(lb) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.).

#:

#(lb) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure.

#:

#(lb) To be infected by (an illness).

#:

#(lb) To spread by infection or similar means.

#*(Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)

#*:Does the sedition catch from man to man?

#*(Mary Martha Sherwood) (1775–1851)

#*:He accosted Mrs. Browne very civilly, told her his wife was very ill, and said he was sadly troubled to get a white woman to nurse her: "For," said he, "Mrs. Simpson has set it abroad that her fever is catching ."

#

#:

#*2003 , Jerry Dennis, The Living Great Lakes , p.63:

#*:the sails caught and filled, and the boat jumped to life beneath us.

#(lb) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or infection.

#:

#(lb) To be hit by something. (jump)

#:

#(lb) To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.

#*{{quote-book, year=1877, title= Annual Report of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, page=135
, passage=The nets caught well, and Mr. Deeley reported it the best fishing ground he ever tried.}}
# To get pregnant.

#:

(lb) To take in with one's senses or intellect.

#(lb) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand. (jump)

#:

#*

#*:“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.

#(lb) To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment).

#:

#(lb) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully.

#:

(lb) To seize attention, interest.

#(lb) To charm or entrance.

#*2004 , Catherine Asaro, The Moon's Shadow , p.40:

#*:No, a far more natural beauty caught him.

#(lb) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense).

#:

Synonyms

* (jump) fang, snatch, grab * (jump) capture, take; snare, hook * (jump) take, get

Antonyms

* drop, release

Derived terms

(Terms derived from the verb "to catch") * catchable * catchall * catchbasin * catcher * catch-breath * catch cold * catch a cold * catch a crab * catch a tan * catch as catch can * catch fire * catch it * catch on * catch out * catch over * catch up * caught in the act

crack
English

Etymology 1
From (etyl) crakken, craken, from (etyl) .
Verb
(en verb)
(senseid)To form cracks.

It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack .

To break apart under pressure.

When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked .

To become debilitated by psychological pressure.

Anyone would crack after being hounded like that.

To break down or yield, especially under interrogation or torture.

When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked .

To make a cracking sound.

The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six.

(of a voice) To change rapidly in register.

His voice cracked with emotion.

(of a pubescent boy's voice) To alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.

His voice finally cracked when he was fourteen.

To make a sharply humorous comment.

"I would too, with a face like that," she cracked .

To make a crack or cracks in.

The ball cracked the window.

To break open or crush to small pieces by impact or stress.

You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.

To strike forcefully.

She cracked him over the head with her handbag.

To open slightly.

Could you please crack the window?

To cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure. (Figurative )

They managed to crack him on the third day.

To solve a difficult problem.

I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight.

To overcome a security system or a component.

It took a minute to crack''' the lock, three minutes to '''crack''' the security system, and about twenty minutes to ' crack the safe.

They finally cracked the code.

To cause to make a sharp sound.

to crack a whip

* 2001 , Doug McGuinn, The Apple Indians

Hershell cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit that drove Inez crazy

To tell (a joke).

The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke.

(transitive, chemistry, informal) To break down (a complex molecule), especially with the application of heat: to pyrolyse.

Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°C.

(computing) To circumvent software restrictions such as regional coding or time limits.

That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it.

(informal) To open a canned beverage, or any packaged drink or food.

I'd love to crack open a beer .

(obsolete) To brag, boast.

*, II.4.1.v:

Cardan cracks that he can cure all diseases with water alone, as Hippocrates of old did most infirmities with one medicine.

* Shakespeare

Ethoipes of their sweet complexion crack .

(archaic, colloquial) To be ruined or impaired; to fail.

* Dryden

The creditof exchequers cracks , when little comes in and much goes out.

Derived terms
* bumcrack * crack a crib * crack a fat * crack baby * crack down * cracked * cracker * crack house * crack kills * crack of dawn * crack on * crack seed * crack up * crack whore * fall between the cracks * difficult nut to crack * hard nut to crack * tough nut to crack * what's the crack * wisecrack
Related terms
* crazed (exhibiting fine-line cracks)
Noun
(en noun)
(senseid)A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.

A large crack had formed in the roadway.

A narrow opening.

We managed to squeeze through a crack in the rock wall.

Open the door a crack .

* {{quote-news
, year=2011 , date=January 25 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Blackpool 2 - 3 Man Utd , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Dimitar Berbatov found the first cracks in the home side's resilience when he pulled one back from close range and Hernandez himself drew the visitors level with a composed finish three minutes later as Bloomfield Road's earlier jubilation turned to despair. }}
A sharply humorous comment; a wisecrack.

I didn't appreciate that crack about my hairstyle.

A potent, relatively cheap, addictive variety of cocaine; often a rock, usually smoked through a crack-pipe.

* (rfdate) :

I wouldn't use it, if I was going to use it I can afford real cocaine. Crack is wack.

(onomatopoeia) The sharp sound made when solid material breaks.

The crack of the falling branch could be heard for miles.

(onomatopoeia) Any sharp sound.

The crack of the bat hitting the ball.

* {{quote-news
, year=2011 , date=June 28 , author=Piers Newbery , title=Wimbledon 2011: Sabine Lisicki beats Marion Bartoli , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=She broke to love in the opening game, only for Bartoli to hit straight back in game two, which was interrupted by a huge crack of thunder that made Lisicki jump and prompted nervous laughter from the 15,000 spectators.}}
(informal) An attempt at something.

I'd like to take a crack at that game.

(vulgar, slang) vagina.

I'm so horny even the crack of dawn isn't safe!

(vulgar) The space between the buttocks.

Pull up your pants! Your crack is showing.

(Northern England, Scotland, Ireland) Conviviality; fun; good conversation, chat, gossip, or humourous storytelling; good company.

* 2001 , William F. Gray, The Villain , iUniverse, p. 214:

Being a native of Northumberland, she was enjoying their banter and Geordie good humour. This was what she needed — good company and good crack .

* 2004 , Bill Griffiths, Dictionary of North East Dialect , Northumbria University Press (quoting Dunn, 1950)

"his a bit o' good crack — interesting to talk to"

* 2006 , Patrick McCabe, Winterwood , Bloomsbury 2007, p. 10:

By the time we've got a good drunk on us there'll be more crack in this valley than the night I pissed on the electric fence!

The crack was good.

That was good crack .

He/she is quare good crack .

The party was great crack .

(Northern England, Scotland, Ireland) Business/events/news

What's the crack ?

(computing) A program or procedure designed to circumvent restrictions or usage limits on software.

Has anyone got a crack for DocumentWriter 3.0?

(Cumbria, elsewhere throughout the North of the UK) a meaningful chat.

(Internet slang) Extremely silly, absurd or off-the-wall ideas or prose.

The tone of voice when changed at puberty.

* Shakespeare

Though now our voices / Have got the mannish crack .

(archaic) A mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity.

He has a crack .

(archaic) A crazy or crack-brained person.

* Addison

I can not get the Parliament to listen to me, who look upon me as a crack and a projector.

(obsolete) A boast; boasting.

* Burton

crack and brags

* Shakespeare

vainglorious cracks

(obsolete) Breach of chastity.

(Shakespeare)

(obsolete) A boy, generally a pert, lively boy.

* Shakespeare

- 'Tis a noble child.
- A crack , madam.

(slang, dated, UK) A brief time; an instant; a jiffy.

I'll be with you in a crack .

Usage notes
* In the last few decades the word has been adopted into Gaelic; as there is no "k" in the Irish language the spelling (craic) has been devised.
Synonyms
* bum crack (UK), arse crack (UK), ass crack (US) * (cocaine that is heat-altered at the moment of inhalation) crack cocaine
Etymology 2
1793 slang, of origin
Adjective
(-)
Highly trained and competent.

Even a crack team of investigators would have trouble solving this case.

Excellent, first-rate, superior, top-notch.

She's a crack shot with that rifle.

Derived terms
* crack train * crack troops
Related terms
* cracker-jack English ergative verbs ----