The stagecoach driver cracked the whip.是什么意思？

The stagecoach driver cracked the whip.

驿站马车的车夫抽响了鞭子.

the

art. 指已提到的人（物），指说话人与听者已知的人（物），用于独一无二的事物前，与形容词最高级和序数词连用；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

stagecoach

n. 驿马车；

例句
The stagecoach driver cracked the whip.
驿站马车的车夫抽响了鞭子.

driver

n. 驾驶员，司机，驱动器，驱动程序，驱逐者，驱赶者，（高尔夫球）球棒；

例句
They were astonished to find the driver was a six-year-old boy.
令他们吃惊的是，开车的居然是个6岁的小男孩。

cracked

adj. 有裂缝的，声音沙哑的，精神失常的；v. 破裂，崩溃(crack的过去分词)，发沙哑声；

例句
A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage and gas had seeped into our homes...
邻居车库下面的煤气总管裂开了，煤气渗入了我们家。

whip

vt. 鞭打，抽打，严厉地折磨、责打或责备，迫使，把…打起泡沫；vi. 烤，烘，烘干；n. 鞭子，鞭伤，鞭痕，鞭状物，组织秘书，立法机构的一员；

例句
Few people doubt his ability to whip the economy into shape.
几乎无人怀疑他整顿经济的能力。