cracker

[ krak-er ]

noun

1. a thin, crisp biscuit.
2. a firecracker.
3. Also called crack·er bon·bon [krak, -er bon-bon]. 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) Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. 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 ( def 2 ).
7. snapper ( def 5 ).
8. braggart; boaster.
9. a person or thing that cracks.
10. a chemical reactor used for cracking. Compare catalytic cracking, fractionator.

adjective

1. crackers, Informal. 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. not worth a cracker 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. 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 fordef 11 crackers “crazy,” cracked, -ers

Example Sentences

The red-headed kid would grab some crackers, and sometimes a glass of milk, and crawl under the four-legged radio in the living room, falling in love with the roar of the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

But brands have invented a whole new, lucrative category of toddler foods, from pouches and teething crackers to bars and puffs, Fleming-Milici said.

From Los Angeles Times

“There was a piece of cracker, which a mouse stole from me at night. I hid it, and then the mouse probably stole it because I couldn’t find it.”

From BBC

For carbohydrates, consider rice, pasta, instant noodles and crackers.

From Salon

Over the weekend, a gaggle of media establishment figures lost their collective crackers at the news that Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with podcaster Alexandra Cooper for an episode of “Call Her Daddy.”

From Salon

Related Words

• biscuit
• cookie
• pretzel