cracker
/'krækə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A thin, crisp, baked wafer: A type of dry, unsweetened or slightly sweetened biscuit, typically made from flour and water.
- A small explosive firework: A paper tube containing a small explosive charge and a fuse, which produces a loud bang when lit.
- A party favor: A decorated paper tube that makes a popping sound when two people pull it apart, often containing a small toy, a paper hat, or a joke.
- (Informal, often offensive) A poor white person from the rural southern United States: A derogatory term with historical origins.
- (Computing, informal) A person who gains unauthorized access to computer systems: Often with malicious intent, such as to steal data or cause damage. This term is distinct from "hacker," which can have a neutral or positive connotation.
Examples of Usage
- Thin, crisp wafer:
- She served cheese and crackers at the party.
- I like to eat soup with crackers.
- Explosive firework:
- The children set off a cracker in the backyard.
- Party favor:
- We pulled a Christmas cracker and read the joke inside.
- Computer intruder:
- A cracker breached the company's database and stole customer information.
Advanced Usage
- "to be/go crackers" (British informal): To be or become crazy or insane.
- This noise is driving me crackers!
- He must be crackers to try something so dangerous.
Variants and Related Words
- Crackers (adj, British informal): Crazy, mad (as in the idiom above).
- Crack (verb): To break something so that it splits but does not separate completely; to solve a difficult problem; to break into a computer system (from which "cracker" is derived in the computing sense).
- Nutcracker: A tool for cracking nuts.
Synonyms
- Biscuit (UK, for the food item).
- Firecracker (for the explosive).
- Hacker (though this is a broader and often less malicious term in computing).
- Redneck (a related, often derogatory term for a rural white working-class person, primarily in the US).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Cracker-barrel (adj, US): Suggesting the simple, informal, and traditional opinions thought to be held in rural areas.
- He had a cracker-barrel philosophy about life.
Related Idioms
- "Crackerjack" (adj/noun, informal, chiefly US): Exceptionally good; an expert.
- She's a crackerjack programmer.
- "Hard/tough nut to crack": A difficult problem to solve or person to understand.
- This puzzle is a tough nut to crack.
Noun
- a party favor consisting of a paper roll (usually containing candy or a small favor) that pops when pulled at both ends
- firework consisting of a small explosive charge and fuse in a heavy paper casing
- a programmer who cracks (gains unauthorized access to) computers, typically to do malicious things
- crackers are often mistakenly called hackers
- a poor White person in the southern United States
- a thin crisp wafer made of flour and water with or without leavening and shortening; unsweetened or semisweet