adj.
Derived from the German krank – – sick or ill.
1) A racing term used of a horse which is out of order and not «fit» for the contest; hence transferred to a horse whose owneris shamming its illness and making it «run crooked» for thepurpose of cheating its backers.
2) Used more generally as slang, but not recognized in Barereand Leland's `Slang Dictionary.'
1893. `The Herald' (Melbourne), July 4, p. 2, col. 7:
«He said he would dispose of the cloth at a moderate figurebecause it was `cronk.' The word `cronk,' Mr. Finlaysonexplained, meant `not honestly come by.'»