ENGLISH
REFERENCE

crack a smile

idiom
Meaning

To smile, especially while attempting not to.


Examples
SIMPLE

The baby finally cracked a smile at his mother.

CONTEXTUAL

Even though he was trying to look serious during the meeting, he could not help but crack a smile at the joke.

COMPLEX

Despite the heavy atmosphere of the funeral, the old man cracked a smile when he remembered his brother's lifelong sense of humor.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    crack a crust

    To make a living.

  2. 02

    crack a fat

    To get an erection of the penis.

  3. 03

    crack down

    To take harsh action (against), as when enforcing a law more stringently than before.

  4. 04

    crack of dawn

    The first moment of daylight; the instant at which sunrise begins.

  5. 05

    crack through

    To penetrate

  6. 06

    crack up

    To laugh.

  7. 07

    employ a steam engine to crack a nut

    To carry out a simple task in an overcomplicated manner.

  8. 08

    fair crack of the whip

    Let's have an equitable attempt, match, or process. Used as an appeal for reasonableness.

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