Word
crackers
Phoneticscrack·ers
US/ˈkɹækɝz/
UK/kɹˈækəz/
Definitions
01crazy or insane
adj. acting in a way that is silly, strange, or crazy.
adj. mentally unbalanced, eccentric, or behaving in an irrational manner.
“You must be crackers if you think I am going for a swim in this freezing weather.”
“The neighbors thought he had gone completely crackers when he started building a full-sized replica of a pirate ship in his tiny backyard.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Usually follows a linking verb like 'be' or 'go'.
Teaching tip
This is a very common Britishism; learners should be aware it sounds distinctly UK-centric and is too informal for professional writing.
02dry biscuits
n. thin, dry, and usually salty biscuits that you often eat with cheese.
n. plural form of a thin, crisp, savory wafer or biscuit.
“We served some cheese and crackers as a snack before the main meal started.”
“The host arranged an assortment of artisanal crackers and aged cheddar on a wooden platter for the guests to enjoy during the reception.”
Usage
Countable noun; almost always used in the plural when referring to the food item.
Real-World Examples
“CosmicWatch is roughly the size of a box of animal crackers.” “Anyone who has experienced dry mouth knows that crackers can feel like sand and swallowing can become surprisingly difficult.” Etymology
From cracker + -s. The South African sense is from their sound and its status as a plurale tantum by association with trousers. The adjectival sense derives from British naval expressions referring to firecrackers in one's head, originally as "he's got the crackers" and then "he's gone crackers" before the present "he is crackers".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/crackers