crunch
verb [ I or T ] uk/krʌntʃ/ us/krʌntʃ/
嘎吱地咬嚼;嘎吱作响
to crush hard food loudly between the teeth, or to make a sound as if something is being crushed or broken
She was crunching noisily on an apple. 她嘎吱嘎吱地嚼着苹果。
The gravel crunched underfoot as we walked up to the house. 我们向房子走去，脚下的砾石嚓嚓作响。
Compare: munch verb
crunch
noun uk/krʌntʃ/ us/krʌntʃ/
(SOUND)
[ C usually singular ]嘎吱的声音
the sound of hard food being crushed between the teeth, or like something being crushed or broken
The woods were silent apart from the crunch of our feet in the snow. 树林里一片寂静，只有我们踩在雪地上的嘎吱嘎吱声。
(DIFFICULTY)
the crunch[ S ] informal 严峻的形势；紧要关头；需要作出艰难抉择的时刻
a difficult situation that forces you to make a decision or do something
The crunch came when she was forced to choose between her marriage and her career. 关键时刻到了，她不得不在婚姻和事业之间作出选择。
(EXERCISE)
[ C usually plural ]增强腹肌的锻炼;仰卧起坐
an exercise in which you lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, and then raise your head and shoulders
Doing crunches every day strengthens your abdominal muscles. 每天练习仰卧起坐可以增强腹部肌肉。
Idiom
if/when it comes to the crunchidiom 要是到了紧要关头;等到了关键时刻;需要作出决定时
if/when a situation becomes extremely serious and a decision must be made
If it comes to the crunch and you and your husband do split up, you can always stay with us. 如果到最后关头，你和你丈夫非得离婚，你总还可以和我们住在一起。