Question: I have a large ceramic soup cup which appears to be internally damaged after being rinsed with cold water while hot:

![Ceramic cup with visible cracks throughout](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kj0v8.jpg)

Is this cup still safe to use, or is it likely to shatter or otherwise fail during use?

Answer: 
Looks [crazed](https://www.google.com/search?q=crazed%20ceramic&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=2QS&rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7fXBUo6bAo7AkQeW1oCACQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1478&bih=783). Sometimes that's a death sentence for a cup, more often it means that dark colored liquids can seep into the cracks, and make things look interesting. Sometimes not even that happens, and you just have a cup with an interesting pattern in the glaze.
It is safe to use. I have seen lots of cups with similar cracks. I think that they are only in the glaze, not in the ceramic below. But even if the ceramic is slightly damaged too, I have never had one of these break in my hands despite using them for years.