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”

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

For 35 years, Cruise’s super spy Ethan Hunt and his rotating, crackerjack team of rogue agents have been saving the world from annihilation time and time again, skirting death by a hair each time.

From Salon

But it retains its chokehold on pop culture not because of its influence, but its quality; this is a crackerjack thriller, cleverly constructed and directed with quicksilver intensity by the great John McTiernan.

From New York Times

Above all else, Winkler is a crackerjack researcher, deftly laying out the myriad questions, arguments and mysteries swirling around Shakespeare.

From Washington Post

But it’s a crackerjack example of the form; DiCaprio is hauntingly good as a U.S.

From New York Times