crackerjack

[ krak-er-jak ]

noun

1. a person or thing that shows marked ability or excellence.

adjective

1. of marked ability; exceptionally fine.

crackerjack

/ ˈkrækəˌdʒæk /

adjective

1. excellent

noun

1. a person or thing of exceptional quality or ability

Word History and Origins

Origin of crackerjack¹

1890–95, Americanism; earlier crackajack, rhyming compound based on crack (adjective); -a- as in blackamoor ( def ); jack ¹( def ) in sense “fellow, buddy”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crackerjack¹

C20: changed from crack (first-class) + jack ¹(man)

Example Sentences

Greene’s crackerjack defense was to insist, “The people criticizing me are not the American people.”

From Seattle Times

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

The key to the success of “The Departed’s” cops-and-robbers tale of connivance, duplicity and deception is a crackerjack premise that comes courtesy of Hong Kong’s 2002 “Infernal Affairs.”

From Los Angeles Times