n. [ OE. braken, AS. bracce. See 2d Brake, n. ] A brake or fern. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. braguette codpiece, F. brayette, Sp. bragueta, also a projecting mold in architecture; dim. fr. L. bracae breeches; cf. also, OF. bracon beam, prop, support; of unknown origin. Cf. Breeches. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Arch.) An architectural member, plain or ornamental, projecting from a wall or pier, to support weight falling outside of the same; also, a decorative feature seeming to discharge such an office. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This is the more general word. See Brace, Cantalever, Console, Corbel, Strut. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Engin. & Mech.) A piece or combination of pieces, usually triangular in general shape, projecting from, or fastened to, a wall, or other surface, to support heavy bodies or to strengthen angles. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) A shot, crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mil.) The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Print.) One of two characters [ ], used to inclose a reference, explanation, or note, or a part to be excluded from a sentence, to indicate an interpolation, to rectify a mistake, or to supply an omission, and for certain other purposes; -- called also crotchet. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A gas fixture or lamp holder projecting from the face of a wall, column, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Gunnery) A figure determined by firing a projectile beyond a target and another short of it, as a basis for ascertaining the proper elevation of the piece; -- only used in the phrase, to establish a bracket. After the bracket is established shots are fired with intermediate elevations until the exact range is obtained. In the United States navy it is called fork. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Bracket light, a gas fixture or a lamp attached to a wall, column, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bracketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bracketing ] 1. To place within brackets; to connect by brackets; to furnish with brackets. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gunnery) To shoot so as to establish a bracket for (an object). [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Arch.) A series or group of brackets; brackets, collectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having caterpillar treads or tracks on the wheels; as, a caterpillar-tracked earthmover.
Syn. -- caterpillar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Coarsely ground or broken; as, cracked wheat. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Crack-brained. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, cracks. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A noisy boaster; a swaggering fellow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

What cracker is this same that deafs our ears? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A small firework, consisting of a little powder inclosed in a thick paper cylinder with a fuse, and exploding with a sharp noise; -- usually called firecracker. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A thin, dry biscuit, often hard or crisp; as, a Boston cracker; a Graham cracker; a soda cracker; an oyster cracker. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A nickname to designate a poor white in some parts of the Southern United States. Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Zool.) The pintail duck. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. pl. (Mach.) A pair of fluted rolls for grinding caoutchouc. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. characteristic of country life; as, cracker-barrel philosophy.
Syn. -- folksy, homespun. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a creeping red-berried perenial herb (Cornus canadensis) distinguished by clustered leaf whorls at tips of shoots; Greenland to Alaska.
Syn. -- bunchberry, dwarf cornel, pudding berry, Cornus canadensis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ also spelled crackerjack. ] [ prob. from crack + jack, a man. ] 1. An individual of marked ability or excellence, esp. in some sport; as, he is a crackajack at tennis. [ Slang ]
Syn. -- jimdandy, jimhickey. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

2. A preparation of popped corn, candied and pressed into small cakes. The name Cracker Jack(TM) is now a trademark for a similar confection. [ U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

3. something excellent of its kind.
Syn. -- jimdandy, jimhickey. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ also spelled crackajack. ] Of marked ability or excellence. [ Slang ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

adj. crazy. [ informal or slang ]
Syn. -- balmy, barmy, bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, cracked, daft, dotty, fruity, haywire, kooky, kookie, loco, loony, loopy, nuts, nutty, wacky. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. Georgia; -- a nickname. See Cracker, n. 5. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A small explosive device consisting of a paper or cardboard cylinder having only sufficient explosive mixture to make a loud bang, ignited by a short fuse, and used mostly as an entertainment or in celebrations. Same as Cracker., n., 3. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. Ornamental objects of no great value.
Syn. -- falderal, folderol, frills, nonsense, trumpery, trinkets, gewgaws, knickknacks, tchotchkes. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. Half-demented; half-witted. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having caterpillar treads on the rear and wheels in front; as, half-track armored vehicles.
Syn. -- half-track. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. An instrument for cracking nuts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) (a) A European bird (Nucifraga caryocatactes), allied to the magpie and crow. Its color is dark brown, spotted with white. It feeds on nuts, seeds, and insects. (b) The American, or Clarke's, nutcracker (Picicorvus Columbianus) of Western North America. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who racks. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A horse that has a racking gait. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. raquette; cf. Sp. raqueta, It. racchetta, which is perhaps for retichetta, and fr. L. rete a net (cf. Reticule); or perh. from the Arabic; cf. Ar. rāha the palm of the hand (used at first to strike the ball), and OF. rachette, rasquette, carpus, tarsus. ] [ Written also racquet. ] 1. A thin strip of wood, having the ends brought together, forming a somewhat elliptical hoop, across which a network of catgut or cord is stretched. It is furnished with a handle, and is used for catching or striking a ball in tennis and similar games. [ 1913 Webster ]

Each one [ of the Indians ] has a bat curved like a crosier, and ending in a racket. Bancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A variety of the game of tennis played with peculiar long-handled rackets; -- chiefly in the plural. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A snowshoe formed of cords stretched across a long and narrow frame of light wood. [ Canada ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A broad wooden shoe or patten for a man or horse, to enable him to step on marshy or soft ground. [ 1913 Webster ]

Racket court, a court for playing the game of rackets. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To strike with, or as with, a racket. [ 1913 Webster ]

Poor man [ is ] racketed from one temptation to another. Hewyt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gael. racaid a noise, disturbance. ] 1. confused, clattering noise; din; noisy talk or sport. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A carouse; any reckless dissipation. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A scheme, dodge, trick, or the like; something taking place considered as exciting, trying, unusual, or the like; also, such occurrence considered as an ordeal; as, to work a racket; to stand upon the racket. [ Slang ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. an organized illegal activity, such as illegal gambling, bootlegging, or extortion. [ PJC ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Racketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Racketing. ] 1. To make a confused noise or racket. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To engage in noisy sport; to frolic. Sterne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To carouse or engage in dissipation. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes, or engages in, a racket. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] (Mus.) An old wind instrument of the double bassoon kind, having ventages but not keys. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) Any one of several species of humming birds of the genus Steganura, having two of the tail feathers very long and racket-shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having long and spatulate, or racket-shaped, tail feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Making a tumultuous noise. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, tracks or pursues, as a man or dog that follows game. [ 1913 Webster ]

And of the trackers of the deer
Scarce half the lessening pack was near. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) In the organ, a light strip of wood connecting (in path) a key and a pallet, to communicate motion by pulling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who breaks jests; a joker. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The nuthatch. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]