crack up
To start laughing really hard, or to stop working properly in your mind.
Meanings
To burst out laughing uncontrollably.
"She cracked up when he tripped over the garden hose."
To cause someone else to laugh uncontrollably.
"His impression of the boss always cracks the whole team up."
To suffer a mental or emotional breakdown under stress or pressure.
"After months of overwork and no sleep, he finally cracked up."
Used in the fixed expression 'not all it's cracked up to be', meaning not as good as people say.
"Fame isn't all it's cracked up to be — the loss of privacy is exhausting."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be."
— Common idiomatic expression widely attributed in popular press and interviews, e.g. used by various celebrities discussing fame.
The 'laughing' sense is very common in everyday speech. The 'mental breakdown' sense is more serious. The phrase 'not all it's cracked up to be' is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning something is not as good as people claim.
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Forms
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Synonyms
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