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cricket

n.
US //ˈkɹɪkət// UK //kɹˈɪkɪt// crick·et
  1. 1 the insect (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a small jumping insect that makes a loud chirping sound at night.

    any of various orthopteran insects of the family Gryllidae, known for the stridulating noise produced by the males.

    Example

    The sound of a single cricket kept him awake all night in the cabin.

    Example

    Male crickets produce their characteristic chirping sound by rubbing their wings together to attract mates during the summer months.

  2. 2 the sport (n.)
    A2 Elementary Sport

    a team game played with a bat, a ball, and wickets, popular in the UK and Commonwealth.

    an outdoor game played with bats, a ball, and wickets between two teams of eleven players; typically uncountable in this sense.

    Example

    We spent the whole afternoon watching a game of cricket at the local park.

    Example

    The national team's victory in the cricket world cup sparked celebrations across the country, highlighting the sport's enduring popularity.

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  1. 3 fair behaviour (n.)
    C1 Advanced British English Informal

    fair and honest behavior toward other people.

    fair, honourable, or sportsmanlike conduct; frequently used in the negative 'it's not cricket' to denote unfairness.

    Example

    Changing the rules at the last minute just isn't cricket.

    Example

    The CEO's decision to withhold bonuses while increasing his own salary was widely criticised as simply not being cricket.
  2. 4 aviation warning (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Slang Computing

    a loud, repeating alarm sound used in a plane's cockpit to warn pilots.

    a specific aural warning signal in an aircraft cockpit, designed with a repetitive chime to ensure immediate pilot recognition.

    Example

    The pilot reacted immediately when the cricket started sounding in the cockpit.

    Example

    During the emergency descent, the persistent chirping of the cricket alerted the crew to an airspeed deviation that required immediate correction.
  3. 5 silence or no response (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Humorous

    a way to describe total silence, especially when you expect someone to speak.

    used metaphorically in the plural to describe a lack of response or total silence following a statement or question.

    Example

    I asked if anyone wanted to help me clean, but all I heard was crickets.

    Example

    The comedian's controversial joke was met with literal crickets from the audience, making the rest of the set incredibly awkward.
Etymology 1

From Middle English creket, crykett, crykette, from Old French criket (with diminutive -et) from criquer (“to make a cracking sound; creak”), from Middle Dutch kricken (“to creak; crack”), from Proto-West Germanic krakōn, from Proto-Germanic krakōną, related to Middle English creken, criken (“to creak”), all ultimately of imitative origin. Compare Dutch kriek (“cricket”), Middle Dutch krikel, criekel, crekel (“cricket”) (with diminituve -el), Middle Low German krikel, krekel (“cricket”), German Kreckel (“cricket”). More at creak.

Etymology 2

Perhaps from a Flemish dialect of Dutch met de krik ketsen (“to chase a ball with a curved stick”).

Etymology 3

The etymology is unknown. A few similar words exist in Germanic languages, such as Norwegian krakk (“stool”).

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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