cracked
/krækt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having lines or fractures on the surface; broken without complete separation: Describes an object that has developed fissures or splits, often while still remaining in one piece.
- Informal: Mentally unsound or eccentric: Used informally to describe someone who is perceived as crazy, foolish, or irrational.
- Of a voice: Suddenly changing in pitch, especially during puberty or due to emotion: Describes a voice that breaks into a higher register unexpectedly.
- Of skin: Rough and split, especially from cold or dryness: Describes skin that is chapped or fissured.
- Of a surface coating (like paint): Having a pattern of fine cracks resembling reptile skin: Describes a finish that has developed a network of small cracks, often due to age or improper application.
Usage and Examples
Describing a damaged object:
- She poured tea into the cracked cup carefully.
- The old mirror was cracked but still reflective.
Informal use for mental state:
- He's gone completely cracked if he thinks that plan will work.
- They thought her idea was cracked.
Describing a voice:
- His voice was cracked with emotion as he gave the speech.
- The teenage boy's cracked voice embarrassed him.
Describing skin or lips:
- Her hands were red and cracked from the winter cold.
- He applied balm to his cracked lips.
Describing a surface finish:
- The antique dresser had a cracked varnish that gave it character.
Advanced Usage
- "cracked up to be": (idiomatic, usually in negative or interrogative constructions) To be as good as people say.
- The new restaurant isn't all it's cracked up to be.
- "cracked a smile": (informal) To smile, especially briefly or reluctantly.
- The stern teacher finally cracked a smile at the student's joke.
Variants and Related Words
- Crack (verb/noun): The act of breaking or the resulting line of breakage.
- A crack in the ice.
- To crack a nut.
- Crackly (adj): Making a series of slight cracking noises.
- The crackly sound of a old record.
- Crackpot (noun, informal): An eccentric or foolish person.
- He was dismissed as a crackpot for his wild theories.
Synonyms
- Fractured: Broken or cracked.
- Crazy: (Informal) Mentally deranged; very foolish.
- Chapped: (Of skin) Rough and cracked.
- Craquelure: (Specialized, for art) A fine pattern of cracks in old paint or varnish.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms
- Crack down on: To start dealing with someone or something much more strictly.
- The police are cracking down on speeding.
- Crack under pressure: To fail to cope with a demanding situation.
- Some athletes crack under the pressure of competition.
- Crack a joke: To tell a joke.
- He's always cracking jokes to lighten the mood.
- At the crack of dawn: Very early in the morning.
- We left at the crack of dawn.
Adjective
- informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
- it used to drive my husband balmy
- of paint or varnish; having the appearance of alligator hide
- used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
- chapped lips