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The hard external coat or covering of anything; the hard exterior surface or outer shell; an incrustation; as, a crust of snow. I have known the statute of an emperor quite hid under a crust of dross. Addison. Below this icy crust of conformity, the waters of infidelity lay dark and deep as ever. Prescott.…

Anything that is very puzzling or difficult to explain. Dr. Sheridan. The perpetual crux of New Testament chronologists. Strauss.

Anything resembling crystal, as clear water, etc. The blue crystal of the seas. Byron. Blood crystal. See under Blood. -- Compound crystal. See under Compound. -- Iceland crystal, a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, brought from Iceland, and used in certain optical instruments, as the…

Anything separated or selected from a mass.

Anything shaped like a cup; as, the cup of an acorn, or of a flower. The cowslip's golden cup no more I see. Shenstone.

One who has the care and superintendence of anything, as of a museum; a custodian; a keeper.

p. a. & vb. n. of Cure. Curing house, a building in which anything is cured; especially, in the West Indies, a building in which sugar is drained and dried.

A ringlet, especially of hair; anything of a spiral or winding form. Under a coronet, his flowing hair In curls on either cheek played. Milton.

Current value; general estimation; the rate at which anything is generally valued. He . . . takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value. Bacon. The bare name of Englishman . . . too often gave a transient currency to the worthless and ungrateful. W. Irving.…

A horse with a docked tail; hence, anything cut short. [Obs] Nares.

Anything resembling a cushion in properties or use; as:

To debar. "I am cut out from anything but common acknowledgments." Pope. (f) To seize and carry off (a vessel) from a harbor, or from under the guns of an enemy. -- To cut to pieces. (a) To cut into pieces; as, to cut cloth to pieces. (b) To slaughter; as, to cut an army to pieces. -- To cut a play (Drama), to shorte…

Anything to which attention is strongly turned; a center of attraction. Where perhaps some beauty lies, The cynosure of neighboring eyes. Milton.

A small mass of anything soft or moist.

One who dips slightly into anything; a superficial meddler. "our dabblers in politics." Swift.

To toddle; to walk unsteadily, like a child or an old man; hence, to do anything slowly or feebly.

Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [Obs.] I ne told no deyntee of her love. Chaucer.

to undertake. What high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare every thing and do anything Bagehot. To wrest it from barbarism, to dare its solitudes. The Century.

Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart. The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart. Hannan More.

The act of one who deals; distribution of anything, as of cards to the players; method of business; traffic; intercourse; transaction; as, to have dealings with a person. Double dealing, insincere, treacherous dealing; duplicity. -- Plain dealing, fair, sincere, honorable dealing; honest, outspoken expression of opini…