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Hacking vs Cracking - What's the difference?

hacking | cracking |

As adjectives the difference between hacking and cracking

is that hacking is short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacky while cracking is great.

As nouns the difference between hacking and cracking

is that hacking is playful solving of technical work that requires deep understanding, especially of a computer system while cracking is the thermal decomposition of a substance, especially that of crude petroleum in order to produce petrol / gasoline.

As verbs the difference between hacking and cracking

is that hacking is present participle of lang=en while cracking is present participle of lang=en.

As an adverb cracking is

very, usually associated with praise.

hacking

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacky.
    • A hacking''' cough. A '''hacking''' laugh. A '''hacking''' breath. A '''hacking cry.
    A more hacking and harrowing cough I have never heard.
    Anise will diminish the most hacking cough to where it is no longer irritating.
  • *

    • Usage notes

    Most non-creative collocations are the phrases given as examples.

    Derived terms

    * hacking cough * hackingly

    Noun

    (-)
  • (computing) Playful solving of technical work that requires deep understanding, especially of a computer system.
    • From hacker'': ''"A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular." — RFC 1392
  • (computing) Unauthorized attempts to bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network. See also cracker.
  • (pathology) A dry coughing; the emission of a succession of short coughs.
  • (sports, chiefly, American football, soccer, rugby) A kick in the shins.
  • (massage) The act of striking the muscles with the side of the hand.
  • (UK, countable) A riding or journey on horseback. (Plural hackings.)
  • (obsolete) The operation of working over the faces of rough or worn grindstones with a hack-hammer.
  • (obsolete, masonry) The separation of a course of stones into two smaller courses, when there are not enough large stones to form a single course.
  • (obsolete, gem-cutting) The cuts and grooves made in the metal laps by holding the cutting edge of a steel blade against them while in motion, for the purpose of providing receptacles or pockets for the powders using in cutting and polishing gems.
  • (obsolete, brick-making) The piling of bricks for drying.

    • Derived terms

    * hacking coat, hacking jacket, hacking-seat * hacking run

    Verb

    (head)

    • Anagrams

    *

    See also

    *pirate

    References

    * (Vol. IV, p. 2675–2676; supplement Vol. XI, p. 559) * “hacking” in Harrap's Shorter , 2006, p. 416 * “hacking” in Concise English Dictionary , Wordsworth, 2007, p. 405 * “ hacking” at Wordnik

    cracking

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (chemistry) The thermal decomposition of a substance, especially that of crude petroleum in order to produce petrol / gasoline.
  • The formation of cracks on a surface

    • Adjective

    (-)
  • Great
    • The race started at a cracking pace.
  • Enjoyable.
    • We had a cracking time.

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (British) Very, usually associated with praise.
    • It was a cracking good show.

    Verb

    (head)

    • Derived terms

    * get cracking