"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"
        }
      ],
      "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1947, Robert Briffault, New Life of Mr. Martin, page 270",
          "text": "\"Cracking a tidy crust, thank you, mate,\" Abe said sheepishly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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",
        "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1947, Robert Briffault, New Life of Mr. Martin, page 270",
          "text": "\"Cracking a tidy crust, thank you, mate,\" Abe said sheepishly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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"
}