Skip to main content
cracker-ass joke

cracker-ass joke

9.9
A very bad, unfunny joke that makes people feel awkward
  • noun
  • /ˈkrækər æs dʒoʊk/
  • Offensive
translation icon : chiste de mierda
  • Nobody laughed at his cracker-ass joke during the meeting.

Examples

  • Samantha rolled her eyes when Tom tried to break the ice with a cracker-ass joke.

  • I can't believe you told a cracker-ass joke at the party.

  • I've heard enough of your cracker-ass jokes for one night.

  • That was a terrible cracker-ass joke!

  • Nobody laughed at his cracker-ass joke during the meeting.

  • Samantha rolled her eyes when Tom tried to break the ice with a cracker-ass joke.

  • I can't believe you told a cracker-ass joke at the party.

Synonyms

bad joke
vscracker-ass joke
26 2.5

A remark meant to make people laugh that is not funny or is rude

is more extreme and used to deride or mock
corny joke
vscracker-ass joke
  • Informal
2 3.8

A silly, old-fashioned joke that is too easy to guess

is harsher and describes very poor or awkward material
groaner
vscracker-ass joke
  • Informal
1 8.0

A joke that is so bad it makes people show annoyance

causes derisive dismissal or awkward silence rather than light complaint

Antonyms

14 1.0

A short story or remark that makes people laugh

How Funny

joke
1.0
bad joke
26 2.5
groaner
  • Informal
1 8.0
cracker-ass joke
  • Offensive
9.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

cracker-ass + joke

The headword contains a slang intensifier ('-ass') attached to 'cracker', which does not have a clear, standard dictionary meaning here; however the combination functions as a derogatory qualifier for 'joke'. A B1 learner who knows 'joke' and the coarse sense of 'ass' might infer that it is an insulting/very negative modifier, but the exact nuance and lexical origin are slangy and culture-specific, so comprehension is partial rather than fully predictable.

Etymology

Cracker-ass joke comes from a slang way of making an insult: cracker used to mean 'cheap' or 'lame' and ass makes the word harsher. So a cracker-ass joke gives the image of a really weak, low-quality joke, and that's why people use it to call a joke 'very bad' or 'not funny'.