What is "crisp"

Crisp \Crisp\ (kr?sp), a. [AS. crisp, fr. L. crispus; cf. carpere to pluck, card (wool), and E. harvest. Cf. Crape.]

1. Curling in stiff curls or ringlets; as, crisp hair.

2. Curled with the ripple of the water. [Poetic]

   You nymphs called Naiads, of the winding brooks . . . Leave jour crisp channels.
   --Shak.

3. Brittle; friable; in a condition to break with a short, sharp fracture; as, crisp snow.

   The cakes at tea ate short and crisp.
   --Goldsmith.

4. Possessing a certain degree of firmness and freshness; in a fresh, unwilted condition.

   It [laurel] has been plucked nine months, and yet looks as hale and crisp as if it would last ninety years.
   --Leigh Hunt.

5. Lively; sparking; effervescing.

   Your neat crisp claret.
   --Beau. & Fl.

6. Brisk; crackling; cheerful; lively.

   The snug, small room, and the crisp fire.
   --Dickens.

Crisp \Crisp\, v. i. To undulate or ripple. Cf. Crisp, v. t.

To watch the crisping ripples on the beach.
--Tennuson.

Crisp \Crisp\, n. That which is crisp or brittle; the state of being crisp or brittle; as, burned to a crisp; specifically, the rind of roasted pork; crackling.

Crisp \Crisp\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Crisped (kr?spt); p. pr. & vb. n. Crisping.] [L. crispare, fr. crispus. See Crisp. a. ]

1. To curl; to form into ringlets, as hair, or the nap of cloth; to interweave, as the branches of trees.

2. To cause to undulate irregularly, as crape or water; to wrinkle; to cause to ripple. Cf. Crimp.

   The lover with the myrtle sprays Adorns his crisped tresses.
   --Drayton.

   Along the crisped shades and bowers.
   --Milton.

   The crisped brooks, Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold.
   --Milton.

3. To make crisp or brittle, as in cooking.

   Crisping iron, an instrument by which hair or any textile fabric is crisped.

   Crisping pin, the simplest form of crisping iron.
   --Is. iii. 22.

Old English crisp "curly," from Latin crispus "curled, wrinkled, having curly hair," from PIE root *(s)ker- (3) "to turn, bend" (see ring (n.)). It began to mean "brittle" 1520s, for obscure reasons, perhaps based on what happens to flat things when they are cooked. Figurative sense of "neat, brisk" is from 1814; perhaps a separate word. As a noun, from late 14c. Potato crisps (the British version of U.S. potato chips) is from 1929.

late 14c., "to curl," from crisp (adj.). Meaning "to become brittle" is from 1805. Related: Crisped; crisping.

1. 1 (context of something seen or heard English) Sharp, clearly defined. 2 (context dated English) curling in stiff curls or ringlets. 3 (context obsolete English) Curled by the ripple of water. 4 brittle; friable; in a condition to break with a short, sharp fracture. 5 Possessing a certain degree of firmness and freshness; in a fresh, unwilted condition. 6 Of weather, air etc.: dry and cold. 7 (context of movement, action, etc. English) Quick and accurate. n. (context British English) A thin slice of fried potato eaten as a snack. v

2. 1 (context transitive English) To make crisp. 2 (context intransitive English) To become crisp. 3 (context transitive dated English) To curl; to form into ringlets, as hair, or the nap of cloth; to interweave, as the branches of trees. 4 (context intransitive archaic English) To undulate or ripple. 5 (context transitive archaic English) To cause to undulate irregularly, as crape or water; to wrinkle; to cause to ripple.

n. a thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat [syn: chip, potato chip, Saratoga chip]

1. v. make wrinkles or creases into a smooth surface; "The dress got wrinkled" [syn: wrinkle, ruckle, crease, crinkle, scrunch, scrunch up]

2. make brown and crisp by heating; "toast bread"; "crisp potatoes" [syn: toast]

1. adj. (of something seen or heard) clearly defined; "a sharp photographic image"; "the sharp crack of a twig"; "the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot" [syn: sharp]

2. tender and brittle; "crisp potato chips" [syn: crispy]

3. pleasantly cold and invigorating; "crisp clear nights and frosty mornings"; "a nipping wind"; "a nippy fall day"; "snappy weather"; (`parky' is a British term) [syn: frosty, nipping, nippy, snappy, parky]

4. pleasingly firm and fresh and making a crunching noise when chewed; "crisp carrot and celery sticks"; "a firm apple"; "crunchy lettuce" [syn: firm, crunchy]

5. in small tight curls [syn: frizzly, frizzy, kinky, nappy]

6. brief and to the point; effectively cut short; "a crisp retort"; "a response so curt as to be almost rude"; "the laconic reply; `yes'"; "short and terse and easy to understand" [syn: curt, laconic, terse]

CRISP may refer to:

• The Consortium for Research in School Pedagogy
• C-language Reduced Instruction Set Processor
• Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients
• Complementary Randomized Integrated Sensing and Processing
• Computer Registration Involving Student Participation, online course registration system designed by Bernard Galler
• Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects
• Coral Reef Initiative for the South Pacific
• Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM)
• Cross Registry Information Service Protocol
• Cysteine-RIch Secretory Proteins (CRISPs), a family of proteins important to mammalian reproduction and also found in various snake venoms

Crisp, as a surname, may refer to:

• Benjamin Crisp (1808–1901), New Zealand carrier, temperance reformer and character.
• Bob Crisp (1911-1994), South African cricketer.
• Charles Frederick Crisp (1845 - 1896), a U.S. Representative from Georgia.
• Charles R. Crisp (1870-1937), U.S. politician.
• Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (1979- ), baseball center fielder.
• Donald Crisp (1882-1974), English film actor.
• Finlay Crisp (1917-1984), Australian academic and political scientist.
• Fiona Crisp (born 1966), British photographer.
• Frank Crisp (1843-1919), English lawyer and microscopist.
• George Crisp (1911–1982), Welsh footballer who played for Coventry City.
• Hank Crisp (1896–1970), American college sports coach.
• Henry Crisp (by 1505-75), English landowner and politician.
• Hope Crisp(1884-1950), English tennis player, first winner of Wimbledon mixed doubles.
• Jack Crisp (born 1993), Australian rules football player at the Brisbane Lions.
• James Crisp (born 1982), British Paralympic swimmer.
• Joy Crisp, American planetary geologist specializing in Mars geology.
• N. J. Crisp (1923-2005), British television writer, dramatist and novelist.
• Nathaniel Crisp (1762-1819), British prankster and baptizer.
• Nicholas Crisp (c. 1599–1666), English Royalist and Member of Parliament
• Nigel Crisp, Baron Crisp (1952- ), British civil servant.
• Norman Crisp (1923 - 2005), English television writer.
• Quentin Crisp (1908-1999), English writer, artist's model, actor.
• Quentin S. Crisp (1972- ), British SF writer.
• Ruth Crisp (1918-2007), crossword compiler.
• Stephen Crisp (1628–1692), English Quaker activist and prolific writer.
• Terry Crisp (1943- ), Canadian ice hockey centerman.
• Thomas Crisp (1876-1917), English skipper, won VC.
• Tobias Crisp (1600–1643), English clergyman and reputed antinomian.
• William Crisp (1842-1910), English missionary priest who worked in South Africa.

See also:

• Crisp (disambiguation)

A crisp (British English) or potato chip (American English) is a thin slice of a potato, or other root vegetable, deep fried or baked until crispy.

Crisp may also refer to:

Crisp was a champion steeplechase horse. He was a bay Thoroughbred gelding that was foaled in 1963 in Australia. In his native country, he won many important jumping races, particularly two-milers, including the Hiskens Steeplechase in 1969 and 1970. So well did he jump, he was nicknamed "The Black Kangaroo". However, Crisp is probably best remembered for his epic contest with Red Rum in the 1973 Grand National in England.

A crisp is a type of dessert, usually consisting of a type of fruit, baked with a crispy topping, hence the name. The topping usually consists of butter, flour, oats, brown sugar and usually spices such as cinnamon and/or nutmeg. The most familiar type of crisp is apple crisp, where apples are baked with this topping. However, many other kinds of fruit can be used, such as cherries, pears, peaches, blueberries, etc.

Nestlé Crisp are a line of wafer candy bars that are based on existing Nestlé brands and sold in the United States. There are currently three Crisp bars in production: the Butterfinger Crisp, the Baby Ruth Crisp and the Nestlé Crunch Crisp. Each package is made up of two small, individual bars.

The Crisp line is an offshoot of the original Butterfinger Crisp that came out in 2004, then later a Nestlé Crunch Crisp and finally the Baby Ruth Crisp. While the original Butterfinger and Nestlé Crunch Crisp were full-size candy bars, all the current Crisps follow the two small, individual bar packaging.