cracker

[krak-er]

noun

1. a thin, crisp biscuit.

2. a firecracker.

3. Also called cracker bonbon. a small paper roll used as a party favor, that usually contains candy, trinkets, etc., and that pops when pulled sharply at one or both ends.

4. (initial capital letter),  a native or inhabitant of Georgia or Florida (used as a nickname).

5. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.,  a contemptuous term used to refer to a white person in the South, especially a poor white living in some rural parts of the southeastern U.S.

6. Slang.,  black hat.

7. snapper.

8. braggart; boaster.

9. a person or thing that cracks.

10. a chemical reactor used for cracking.

adjective

1. Informal.,  crackers, wild; crazy.

   They went crackers over the new styles.

cracker

/ ˈkrækə /

noun

1. a decorated cardboard tube that emits a bang when pulled apart, releasing a toy, a joke, or a paper hat

2. short for firecracker

3. a thin crisp biscuit, usually unsweetened

4. a person or thing that cracks

5. offensive,  another word for poor White

6. slang,  a thing or person of notable qualities or abilities

7. informal,  worthless; useless

Sensitive Note

The term cracker is used as a neutral nickname by inhabitants of Georgia and Florida; it is a positive term of self-reference. But when the nickname is used by outsiders, it is usually with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting by Georgians and Floridians. Cracker is always disparaging and offensive when used to refer to a poor white person in the South; the word in this sense often implies that the person is regarded as ignorant or uneducated. When used by Black people, cracker can refer to a Southern white racist, not necessarily poor or rural. See also Cracker State.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cracker¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English craker; crack, -er ¹; cracker defs. 4, 5 were perhaps originally in sense “braggart,” applied to frontiersmen of the southern American colonies in the 1760s, though subsequently given other interpretations ( corn-cracker ); cracker for def. 11 crackers “crazy,” cracked, -ers

Example Sentences

Chalk and cheese it was, and while it would be crackers to get carried away knowing a long tournament is ahead of England, the signs are promising.

From BBC

Go to your local grocery store or farmer’s market and pick up three to four assorted cheeses, one or two meats, and two to three cracker varieties.

From Salon

It would be like the pope abruptly announcing that the doctrine of transubstantiation is nonsense; it’s just a cracker and a cup of watered-down wine.

From Salon

It’s best enjoyed warm and served alongside tortilla chips, toasted baguette slices, crackers, or cut-up vegetables.

From Salon

In Newcastle, Joshua Robb, 37, spent a week preparing a six-course Christmas meal for friends, the dinner table dressed with Christmas crackers and printed menus adorned with holly motifs.

From BBC

Related Words

• biscuit 
• cookie 
• pretzel