cracked up

Idioms  

1. Past tense of crack up .

2. cracked up to be . Reputed to be. This expression is always used in a negative way, as in I don't think this book is all it's cracked up to be . It relies on the now obsolete use of to crack up to mean “to praise extravagantly.” It appeared in The Kentuckian : “He is not the thing he is cracked up for” (May 28, 1829). [Early 1800s]

3. Under the influence of crack (a form of cocaine). For example, “Who's cracked up, who's cracked out, and who's dead?” ( World News Tonight , ABC-TV, May 12, 1992). [1980s]

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Example Sentences

“Perhaps the tarte Philippe is not all it is cracked up to be,” she nearly said, for she did feel sorry for poor Lady Constance and wished to comfort her.

From Literature

A sprinkle of heavenly magic, and Arj can be taught a valuable lesson—by trading places with Jeff and finding out that wealth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

From The Wall Street Journal

When he saw the result in the mirror, he cracked up: “Oh my God, I’m Geppetto. I look just like the Disney version.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I just cracked up laughing of course, because that's what any woman would want to hear, but it's our life, so it's pretty wonderful. He was a man of his word."

From BBC

I cracked up, and it felt like sobbing.

From Los Angeles Times