Where does the phrase crush it come from?

crush

The word crush has multiple meanings and definitions. It is used differently in each context. To easily understand all the meanings of crush, weve explained them into seven different senses and sections.

Crush in the sense of love or infatuation

Meaning

• feel love-sick for someone
• an intense feeling of attraction for somebody
• a short-term but extreme feeling of love for someone
• have strong feelings of love for someone mostly one-sided
• to have romantic feelings for a person, usually with no results

Example Sentences

1. I think Stevehas a crushon our new English teacher; he always looks forward to her classes and even goes to ask questions after classes, though he doesnt need to.
2. When I was young, Ihad a big crushon one of the top actresses of our times; I even had posters of her all over my room.
3. Teenagers usuallyhave a crushon famous personalities film stars, celebrities, sportspersons asthey grow older, they outgrow these fantasies.
4. Elvis Presley was a massive star of his time; he was so popular that many young womenhad a crushon him.
5. My niece told me that she has a crush on the new boy in her class she finds him very cute and attractive.
6. After being spurned twice, Sally said she would neverhave a crushon anyone again.
7. My sister thinks shehas a crushon someone I know. Who can that be?
8. Joe is the athletics champion of our school, and many girlshave a crushon him.

Crush in the sense of break or grind

Meaning

• to break something into tiny pieces
• to grind something (hard) into a powder

Example Sentences

1. John crushed the can after use.
2. Add a piece of crushed ginger to make a tasty gravy.
3. The chainsaw badly crushed his hand while he was cutting trees.
4. I need to crush the black pepper to sprinkle on the dish.
5. Crush the garlicby striking it multiple times with the stone.

Crush in the sense of spoiling and ruining

Meaning

• to break or destroy something like feeling, desire, etc.
• to spoil or ruin something like a plan or project

Example Sentences

1. Andrew isnt letting COVID-19 crush his holiday spirit.
2. A girls plans were crushed when she couldnt meet her dad.
3. Everything kids do, is pure and untainted by societys standards. No one should crush their happiness.
4. Her lack of confidence may crush her dreams.

Crush in the sense of squeeze or press

Meaning

• to press something so hard that it is damaged, broken, or injured

Example Sentences

1. Remove the dress from the suitcase to avoid getting it crushed.
2. She crushed the cup and threw it into the dustbin.
3. The box got crushed completely when a heavy block fell on top of it.
4. Those who want it spicy, crush the pepper at the end of cooking and add to their portion.
5. A wall fell and crushed three men in the accident.
6. The years have rather sadly crushed the silk dress, but hopefully, you can imagine it in its original pristine condition.

Crush in the sense of defeat

Meaning

• to absolutely defeat someone or something
• to perform very well in a specific task, situation, contest, or challenge
• to beat an opposite team or party in a game or competition

Example Sentences

1. England cricket team is strong enough to crush the opposition.
2. The defense minister called upon the military to help crush the rebellions.
3. America crushed Russia by 10 to 3 in the last match in Tokyo.
4. Austrian ski team is being crushed by the Canadians.
5. Amazons new strategies will crush small offline businesses.

Crush in the sense of demoralize

Meaning

• to badly upset, disturb or shock someone
• to be heartbroken

Example Sentences

1. Rob was crushed by the news of his wifes car accident.
2. Never listen to your haters, and dont be crushed by them.
3. She was crushed when she lost the last chance to win the prize.
4. If you cheat on her again, it will crush her heart.

Crush in the sense of the crowd

Meaning

• a crowd of people pressing against one another
• a massive gathering of people

Example Sentences

1. We have to struggle through the crush to get the train.
2. Im not too fond of the crush at the mall on the Black Friday sale.
3. I am pretty sure that anyone can get lost in this crush.
4. My mum will stay with us, but itll be a bit of a crush in our house. (British)

Crush Synonym Words

1. love; attraction; obsession; passion; infatuation
2. squash; break; smash
3. overcome; subdue; overpower conquer
4. demoralize; depress; discourage; devastate; put down
5. squeeze; press; enfold
6. crowd; throng; mob; herd; jam; gathering

Origin of Crush

Crush on somebody is a variation on the older phrase to have a crush on, which has been around since at least 1995 when the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina described the verb crush as:

to be totally gaga over a girl or guy. Usage: Have you seen the way Wanda looks at that new guy in algebra class? She is totally crushing on him.'

Crush introduced in English by 1398, probably from the Old French verbcroissir, which meant to crack or break and make noise.

The romantic sense of crush was first published in the 1884 journal of Isabella Maud Rittenhouse. It mentioned the object of the obsession:

Wintie is weeping because her crush is gone.

After a few years, crush defined the infatuation itself.

Miss Palfrey consented to wear his bunch of blue violets. It was a crush, you see, on both sides, John Seymour Wood wrote in Yale yarns in 1895.

A linguist Eric Partridge, suggested that crush might have been a variation on mash since by 1870, mashed was a common way of saying flirtatious or head over heels in love, and to crush something was to mash it. To be on the mash, or to make a mash on someone, was to flirt with that person. A masher was a guy who could entice a young lady with a crafty glimpse and a smooth line of conversation.

Feeling, Love, Relationship

C 10 Thoughts

catch eye keen as mustard