Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *krews-
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Indo-European *krustós
Proto-Italic *krustosder.
Latin crusta
Anglo-Norman crustebor.
Middle English cruste
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Germanic *-gaz
Proto-West Germanic *-g
Old English -iġ
Middle English -y
Middle English crusty
English crusty
From Middle English crusty, equivalent to crust + -y.
Meanings
Having a crust, especially a thick one.
No one was there. But there was a cloth spread upon the table that stood against the wall, and a cover was laid for one, with a crusty brown loaf and a bottle of wine beside the plate 1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening:
(figuratively, informal, of a person or behavior) Short-tempered and gruff but, sometimes, with a harmless or benign inner nature.
Visitors to Maine often expect to find such colorful characters at every turn. In fact, Governor Angus King once said that if he could just strategically position a suitable crusty yet benign "Mainah" on the porch of every general store or end of every lobster wharf, giving people asking for directions the standard reply of "You can't get theyah from heyah," tourism revenue would triple. 2009, Earl Brechlin, Adventure Guide to Maine, page 65:
Then somebody told a story about the Swedish Majesty's last sojourn in Norway. There, at a railway station, Oscar ran against a crusty old farmer who thought himself a lot better than a mere king and kept his hat on. 1922, Henry William Fischer, Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field:
However kindly a friend may otherwise be, he soon turns crusty if asked to lend money. 1895, Marie Corelli, The Sorrows of Satan: or The Strange Experience of One Geoffrey Tempest, Millionaire […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, published 1896, →OCLC, page 12:
(informal) Of very low quality; crude visuals or harsh, granular sound.
The old vinyl record made a crusty crackling sound as the needle hit it.
The door opened with a crusty squeak that echoed in the silent room.
A crusty sound came from the rusted hinges of the gate.
de reizbar (grumpy, short-tempered) · ru ершистый (grumpy, short-tempered) · es gruñón (grumpy, short-tempered) · es irritable (grumpy, short-tempered) · tr ters (grumpy, short-tempered) · ga meirgeach (grumpy, short-tempered) · tr aksi (grumpy, short-tempered) · el κακότροπος (grumpy, short-tempered) · de Krusten- (having a crust) · es crustáceo (having a crust) · pt rabugento (grumpy, short-tempered) · cmn 硬皮的 (having a crust) · ru корковый (having a crust) · tr huysuz (grumpy, short-tempered) · de krustig (having a crust) · de mürrisch (grumpy, short-tempered) · es de corteza dura (having a crust) · pdt kjarschtich (having a crust) · es crujiente (having a crust) · nl nors (grumpy, short-tempered) · el ξεροψημένος (having a crust) · tr geçimsiz (grumpy, short-tempered)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *krews-
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Indo-European *krustós
Proto-Italic *krustosder.
Latin crusta
Anglo-Norman crustebor.
Middle English cruste
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Germanic *-gaz
Proto-West Germanic *-g
Old English -iġ
Middle English -y
Middle English crusty
English crusty
From Middle English crusty, equivalent to crust + -y.
Meanings
(UK, informal) A tramp or homeless young person with poor cleanliness.
(slang) Dried eye mucus.
Jesus, how could I bear the sight of him—sleep crusties lodged in the corners of his rheumy eyes, a puff of chest hair cresting like meringue over the top of his V-neck sweater, khakis jacked up to his breastbone—when I was used to looking at the singularly lovely Isabella? 2003, Mary O'Connell, “Saint Anne”, in Living with Saints, Grove Press, →ISBN, page 209:
I wiped the crusties from my eyes, threw on a sundress, and wandered out into the living room. 2005, Jeffrey Dinsmore, I, an Actress: The Autobiography of Karen Jamey, Contemporary Press, page 51
Against the backdrop of muted stripes of color, Julieanne picked at her eyes’ crusties, and then combed her hair with the hand. 1999, Vinnie Hansen, Murder, Honey, Xlibris Corporation,, →ISBN, page 155:
(Ireland, UK, informal) A member of an urban subculture with roots in punk and grebo, characterized by antiestablishment attitudes and an unkempt appearance.
The Spirals are part of the crossover between the rave scene and the ‘crusty’ subculture—crusties being squat-dwelling anarcho-hippy-punk types named after their matted dreadlocks and post-apocalyptic garb. 1998, Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash, Soft Skull Press, published 2012, →ISBN, page 135:
The predictable complaints began as soon as Extinction Rebellion launched its fortnight of protest in London, part of an international campaign of civil disobedience in as many as 60 cities worldwide. Politicians have moaned that the police are being too passive, and Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, labelled the protesters – who include a former Metropolitan police detective – “uncooperative crusties”. 2019 October 10, “The Guardian view on the Extinction Rebellion protests: of course they’re an inconvenience”, in The Guardian:
Many of them, dressed in raggedy black combat gear, with haircuts that matched and mismatched punk, Rasta and Native American styles - a look which would later be codified as 'crustie' - began to join the travellers on the road. This influx from the cities changed the travelling scene, and after the Battle of the Beanfield, sections of the downcast and disillusioned travelling community began to seek oblivion through Special Brew superlager or even heroin as the dream of rural liberation turned sour. 2010, Matthew Collin, Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House, page 202:
(slang) Dried blood or serous fluid buildup following body piercing.
Actually, I usually don't see crusties for up to a week after a new pierce, it takes some time before a new pierce is in that stage when it's actively pushing out dead skin cells and other gunk. 1996 April 14, Michael J. Suzio, “Piercing Aftercare”, in rec.arts.bodyart (Usenet):
If you rotate the ring with the crusties still on it, it'll drag the bastards through the piercing and that hurts like the dickens. 2001 January 10, Nikki, “lip piercing (help!)”, in alt.gothic.fashion (Usenet):