crackerjack

American  

[krak-er-jak] / ˈkræk ərˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a person or thing that shows marked ability or excellence.

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adjective

1. of marked ability; exceptionally fine.

crackerjack British  

/ ˈkrækəˌdʒæk /

adjective

1. excellent

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noun

1. a person or thing of exceptional quality or ability

Etymology

Origin of crackerjack

1890–95, earlier crackajack, rhyming compound based on crack (adjective); -a- as in blackamoor ( def. ); jack ¹ ( def. ) in sense “fellow, buddy”

Explanation

Someone who's a crackerjack is really good at what they do. A crackerjack of a magician will amaze you with every trick she performs. You can use the word crackerjack for any excellent thing or person — you might say, for example, that your new car is a crackerjack or compliment your friend on her crackerjack of a performance at the school talent show. Crackerjack is an informal word that can be a noun or an adjective — and it's also the name of the caramel-covered popcorn and nuts you might buy at a baseball game.

Example Sentences

In the film, Reeve can brood as well as he can smolder, punch as precisely as he can deliver a crackerjack line of dialogue.

From Salon • Jul. 10, 2025

The key to the success of “The Departed’s” cops-and-robbers tale of connivance, duplicity and deception is a crackerjack premise that comes courtesy of Hong Kong’s 2002 “Infernal Affairs.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2023

A crackerjack concert-style revival finished up a run last month at the Kennedy Center, with Steven Pasquale and James Monroe Iglehart portraying lovable bad boys Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2022

Besides, Washington Times columnist Michael McKenna did a crackerjack piece last Thursday, “Who is the real threat to democracy?”

From Washington Times • Sep. 5, 2022

He was thinking about Captain Johnson, a crackerjack pilot, a dedicated Marine who would never go far in the Marine Corps because of his voice.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy