graunch
/ɡrɔːn(t)ʃ
/informal, chiefly British
verb [no object]
1Make a crunching or grinding noise: the wheels graunched against a stone wall...
- I'm sure it freezes, for I heard the ice graunching under the wheels of the carriage.
- Yes, bumps will cause some violent tugging at the wheel, and yes, it graunches horribly while reversing at slow speed, but the upside is a whole new chapter written into the laws of physics.
- The rubber graunches and squeaks as it slithers along the course, hitting corners and bouncing to the next.
1.1 [with object] NZ Damage (something): she sat massaging a shoulder she’d graunched last week...
- I soon discovered that one has to have the rear doors on the semitrad cockpit fixed open or latched shut, otherwise you graunch your knuckles on them as the tiller only just clears them.
- With the rather nice alloy wheels, you can now make sure you don't graunch the rims.
- The nasty thing has graunched my finger - how annoying!
noun
A crunching or grinding noise.And then something shifted, pulled back with a graunch, dislodging dust over her chin and mouth, and grey dirty light blinded her....
- Gearbox graunches on changing down from top to third or third to second means an old worn out synchromesh.
- The boot should close fully when the hood is retracted and there should be no scrapes or graunches as it operates.
Origin
Late 19th century (originally Leicestershire dialect): imitative.