to crack open
15
2.6
- phrasal verb
- /kræk ˈoʊpən/
:
abrir
- You're supposed to try to crack open the coconuts.
- crack open a nut
All right, so let's crack open this month's box.
- All right, so let's crack open this month's box.
- So those are reasons to actually crack open the text and check this guy out.
- And here's the judge as you crack open the Bud Light.
- Then maybe they'll just take a beer and crack it open.
- They really like like the peanuts, the ones that you would like crack open at a baseball game.
- I'm curious about this other pen just before I crack this thing open.
- Little whiskey, like, yeah, crack open a cold case.
- This is like I'm going to crack open one of our podcast conspiracy cups.
Examples
-
I'll crack open a window.
-
Crack open a bottle of whiskey and we'll celebrate.
-
Do you mind if I crack open a window?
-
You got something we can crack this open with ?
-
All right, so let's crack open this month's box.
-
It's time to crack open a nice Red Bull, man.
-
PHOTO: An adult female uses a wooden club to crack open soft nuts from the coule tree.
Academic text (1991) -
In order to extract the rich oil from a palm nut, one must crack open its shell.
Academic text (2009) -
After the game, we decided to crack open a few cold beers to celebrate our victory.
-
She cracked open the coconut to get to the water inside.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To change a large bill into smaller bills
76
4.4
Use force with a tool to open or move something that is stuck
20
4.3
To open something by breaking or removing a seal
13
2.1
To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar
8
5.1
Open a closed container or use it for the first time
7
3.2
Open something by lifting or releasing a small catch that holds it closed
Antonyms
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'crack' (to break or split) combined with 'open' (to make accessible) yields opening something by splitting or breaking it. This compositional, motion/force sense is common and predictable across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The phrase crack open comes from the image of making a quick break so you can open something, like cracking a nut or popping the top of a bottle. So it means 'to open' a container or object, often with some force, to get at what is inside.