crumpet

American  

[kruhm-pit] / ˈkrʌm pɪt /

noun

Chiefly British.

• crumpets
  plural

1. a round soft unsweetened bread resembling a muffin, cooked on a griddle or the like, and often toasted.

2. British Slang. a sexually attractive woman.

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crumpet British  

/ ˈkrʌmpɪt /

noun

1. a light soft yeast cake full of small holes on the top side, eaten toasted and buttered

2. (in Scotland) a large flat sweetened cake made of batter

3. slang women collectively

4. slang a sexually desirable woman

5. slang utterly worthless

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crumpets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of crumpet

1350–1400; short for crumpetcake curled cake, equivalent to Middle English crompid (past participle of crumpen, variant of crampen to bend, curl ( see cramp ¹) + cake

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Explanation

A crumpet is a spongy bread that's cooked on a griddle and served warm with butter. Crumpets are a delicious alternative to toast or English muffins. Crumpets were probably invented in Wales as a way to make bread without access to an oven. Like English muffins, they're cooked on a hot pan or griddle, but crumpets are made from a batter, rather than a dough. Etymologists suspect that crumpet may derive from crompid cake, "wafer," or literally "curled-up cake," and its root, which is shared with crumple.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crumpet crumpets

Fuelled by a toasted crumpet and a beer, which he scoffed on Blossoms' tour bus, it was an even more unexpected triumph.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2023

But, as we half-rolled out of Cornerstone seafood restaurant in east London, the crumpet was what sank into our memory – dripping with butter and laden with small, sweetly savoury potted shrimps.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 25, 2019

Analysis: This category is crazy crowded, so much so that I can’t even see the crumpet contingent managing to put “Downton’s” Maggie Smith back among the nominees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2016

We also use words like fortnight and crumpet and jolly good, so we should probably not be taken very seriously.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2014

I took a piece of crumpet and divided it between the two dogs.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Details of the restrictions show baked goods including crumpets, scones and pancakes are all considered junk food under the new legislation.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024

“Sims 4: Cottage Living,” released in July, added dishes inspired by the English countryside, including bangers and mash, beef Wellington, crumpets and Yorkshire pudding.

From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2022

Nowadays, you can purchase mince meat pies from bakeries and brands like Walker, or even pre-made mince meat filling from Robertsons that you can spread on crumpets or scones.

From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2021

Open since 1976, the Crumpet Shop is the only place in the Market to get delightfully squishy, hot griddled crumpets.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2021

You won’t find out eating crumpets on the settee.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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