"crack a crust" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "cracks a crust",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracking a crust",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracked a crust",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracked a crust",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "crack a crust (third-person singular simple present cracks a crust, present participle cracking a crust, simple past and past participle cracked a crust)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1880, Arthur Hamilton, The Confessions of a Scribbler, page 80:",
          "text": "Yet for all this I do not hear one giving him a good name, though there are many cracking a crust on his account.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1947, Robert Briffault, New Life of Mr. Martin, page 270:",
          "text": "\"Cracking a tidy crust, thank you, mate,\" Abe said sheepishly.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Eric Lane, Nina Shengold, Plays for Actresses, page 585:",
          "text": "BIANCA: Well, it's a cooshy enough way to crack a crust...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make a living."
      ],
      "id": "en-crack_a_crust-en-verb-82hBG0NN",
      "links": [
        [
          "make a living",
          "make a living"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang, idiomatic, obsolete) To make a living."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "rub along"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic",
        "obsolete",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "crack a crust"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "cracks a crust",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracking a crust",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracked a crust",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cracked a crust",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "crack a crust (third-person singular simple present cracks a crust, present participle cracking a crust, simple past and past participle cracked a crust)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with obsolete senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1880, Arthur Hamilton, The Confessions of a Scribbler, page 80:",
          "text": "Yet for all this I do not hear one giving him a good name, though there are many cracking a crust on his account.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1947, Robert Briffault, New Life of Mr. Martin, page 270:",
          "text": "\"Cracking a tidy crust, thank you, mate,\" Abe said sheepishly.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Eric Lane, Nina Shengold, Plays for Actresses, page 585:",
          "text": "BIANCA: Well, it's a cooshy enough way to crack a crust...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make a living."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "make a living",
          "make a living"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang, idiomatic, obsolete) To make a living."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "rub along"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic",
        "obsolete",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "crack a crust"
}