Crust

An offshoot of punk culture. The music of crust bands is generally quite similar to traditional hardcore punk. Most "crusties" usually take a pro-environment stance, and are therefore often referred to as "hippies" or "P.C. (politically correct) fags." Bands like Aus Rotten and Toxic Narcotic are good examples of this type of music. Also see the node on hippiepunk.

Among the East-ish dorms at MIT, a certain brand of alumnus is called crust or cruft. Having gone to MIT merely makes one an alum; the truly crufty are those who hang out mostly with other alums and current students, maintain connections to their undergrad dorm or living group, and participate in undergrad activities (gaming, LARPing, and hacking are some of the popular ones). In some ways, being crusty means that you remain a cool person after graduating instead of selling out and turning into a boring grownup. But carried to its logical extreme, cruftiness becomes a sad attempt to hold on to something that is no longer yours; it becomes an inability to grow up.

For the most part, I think that having older friends around is a good thing for undergrads (most crufty folk that I know are of the non-extreme variety, with lives not solely defined by MIT any more). They remember the last time somebody tried that Bad Idea. They can remind you that actually, that "ancient tradition" was started six years ago, with their help. They can both tell exaggerated "Back In The Day" stories and set your facts straight about the ones they heard when they were frosh. Just watch out for old drama if you make lots of crufty friends.

"Crusty!" also makes a useful joking-insult for someone older than you (graduated or not).

Crust (kr?st), n. [L. crusta: cf. OF. crouste, F. crote; prob. akin to Gr. ice, E. crystal, from the same root as E. crude, raw. See Raw, and cf. Custard.]

1.

The hard external coat or covering of anything; the hard exterior surface or outer shell; an incrustation; as, a crust of snow.

I have known the statute of an emperor quite hid under a crust of dross. Addison.

Below this icy crust of conformity, the waters of infidelity lay dark and deep as ever. Prescott.

2. Cookery (a)

The hard exterior or surface of bread, in distinction from the soft part or crumb; or a piece of bread grown dry or hard.

The cover or case of a pie, in distinction from the soft contents.

The dough, or mass of doughy paste, cooked with a potpie; -- also called dumpling.

Th' impenetrable crust thy teeth defies. Dryden.

He that keeps nor crust nor crumb. Shak.

They . . . made the crust for the venison pasty. Macualay.

3. Geol.

The exterior portion of the earth, formerly universally supposed to inclose a molten interior.

4. Zool.

The shell of crabs, lobsters, etc.

5. Med.

A hard mass, made up of dried secretions blood, or pus, occurring upon the surface of the body.

6.

An incrustation on the interior of wine bottles, the result of the ripening of the wine; a deposit of tartar, etc. See Beeswing.

© Webster 1913.

Crust, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Crusted; p. pr. & vb. n. Crusting.] [Cf. OF. crouster, L. crustare. See Crust, n. ]

To cover with a crust; to cover or line with an incrustation; to incrust.

The whole body is crusted over with ice. Boyle.

And now their legs, and breast, and bodies stood Crusted with bark. Addison.

Very foul and crusted bottles. Swift.

Their minds are crusted over, like diamonds in the rock. Felton.

© Webster 1913.

Crust, v. i.

To gather or contract into a hard crust; to become incrusted.

The place that was burnt . . . crusted and healed. Temple.

© Webster 1913.