Forms: 6 crase, 7 crayze, 8 (creaze, crease), 7– craze. [f. CRAZE v.]
† 1. A crack, breach, cleft, flaw. Obs.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1545/2. The weight of the wall it selfe … made a clift or crase therein.
1611. Cotgr., Cas, hoarse like a bell that hath got a craze.
1645. Rutherford, Tryal & Tri. Faith (1845), 339. The frame … must be kept from the least craze or thraw in all the wheels.
† b. fig. A flaw, defect, unsoundness; an infirmity of health or of brain. Obs.
1534. Fisher, Lett. to Cromwell, in Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. 175. I … fall into crases and diseases of my body.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, I. (1625), 75. Whilst there is yet but one craze or slender flaw in … thy reputation.
1608. Hieron, Defence, III. 71. Would it not argue a craze in the brayne?
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., xii. (1669), 153/2. This defect and craze that is in the Saints judgement.
2. An insane or irrational fancy; a mania.
1813. Sir R. Wilson, Priv. Diary, II. 204. The Duke … has a twist, or, as the Scotch say, a craze on the subject of dress.
1858. De Quincey, Autobiog. Sk., ii. Wks. I. 37. I had a perfect craze for being despised.
1877. E. R. Conder, Bas. Faith, ix. 389. The miser’s craze for gold.
b. Craziness, insanity; a crazy condition.
1841. Ld. Cockburn, Circuit Journey (1883), 147. Germany, where mysticism and craze seem to be indigenous.
1887. R. N. Carey, Uncle Max, x. 78. Until my head is in a craze with pain and misery.
† C. A crazy person, a crack-brain. Obs. rare.
16[?]. Songs Lond. Prentices (Percy Soc.), 96. Tom Dekker, Haywood, Middleton, And other wand’ring crayzes [rhyme blazes].
3. Mining. (See quots. and cf. CRAZE v. 2 and CRAZE-MILL.)
1778. W. Price, Min. Cornub., 221. The tin … is sorted into 3 divisions … the middle … being named … the crease. Ibid., 319. Creazes, the work or Tin in the middle part of the Buddle in dressing. [Hence in Weale, Dict. Terms, Raymond, Mining Gloss., etc.].
