c.1460, crouken, onomatopoeic or related to O.E. cracian (see crack). Slang meaning "to die" is first recorded 1812, from sound of death rattle. Croaker "prophet of evil" (1637) is from the raven (cf. M.E. crake "a raven," c.1320, from O.N. kraka "crow," of imitative origin).
in. to die; to expire; to succumb. : The parrot croaked before I got it home.
tv. to kill someone or something. : The car croaked the cat just like that.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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