cram

Etymology

From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krammōn, from Proto-Germanic *krammōną, a secondary verb derived from *krimmaną (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collect; gather”). Compare Old English crimman (“to cram; stuff; insert; press; bruise”), Icelandic kremja (“to squeeze; crush; bruise”).

verb

1. (transitive) To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.
   to cram fruit into a basket; to cram a room with people
   Are we to blame Livingstone for Tube overcrowding? In part, yes, but as Sir John Eliot had observed in 1955, while Chairman of the London Transport Executive: 'They're not crammed in. They cram themselves in.' 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, page 244
   The storm has passed when I arrive at Southampton Central, but more fun is to come. The station platforms and waiting rooms are crammed with people, many toting enormous amounts of baggage as they have just come off a cruise liner. November 16 2022, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 55
2. (transitive) To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.
   The boy crammed himself with cake
3. (transitive) To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination.
   A pupil is crammed by his tutor.
4. (intransitive) To study hard; to swot.
5. (intransitive) To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff oneself.
6. (intransitive, dated, British slang) To lie; to intentionally not tell the truth.
7. (transitive, dated, British slang) To make (a person) believe false or exaggerated tales.

noun

1. The act of cramming (forcing or stuffing something).
2. Information hastily memorized.
   a cram from an examination
3. (weaving) A warp having more than two threads passing through each dent or split of the reed.
4. (dated, British slang) A lie; a falsehood.
   It is awful, an old un like that telling such crams as she do. 1864, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas
   Shut up, and don't tell crams. 1894, Talbot Baines Reed, Tom, Dick, and Harry, page 107
5. (uncountable) A mathematical board game in which players take turns placing dominoes horizontally or vertically until no more can be placed, the loser being the player who cannot continue.
6. A small friendship book with limited space for people to enter their information.
   Regular friendship books had a variety of variations, such as slams, crams, and decos. 2017, Mark Duffett, Fan Identities and Practices in Context: Dedicated to Music, page 194
   Pen pals also make and pass around friendship books, slams and crams. In recent years, pen pal correspondence with prison inmates has gained acceptance on the Internet. 2019, Manjit Bal, Lovingly Yours - Penpals