HACK

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. cut or chop roughly; mangle. 2 tr. kick the shin of (an opponent at football). 3 intr. (often foll. by at) deliver cutting blows. 4 tr. cut (one's way) through thick foliage etc. 5 tr. colloq. gain unauthorized access to (data in a computer). 6 tr. sl. a manage, cope with. b tolerate. --n. 1 a kick with the toe of a boot. 2 a gash or wound, esp. from a kick. 3 a a mattock. b a miner's pick. øhacking cough a short dry frequent cough. [OE haccian cut in pieces f. WG]