cracking
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
For adjective sense 1, cracking is lively British informal praise. Great is the broad everyday choice and fits almost any good thing, from a meal to a lesson. Excellent sounds stronger and a little more careful, so it works well in praise that is less casual. Brilliant often suggests energy, cleverness, or exciting quality, especially for a performance or idea. Terrific is also warm and informal, but it does not sound especially British. You might say a team gave a cracking performance after a fun match, but a teacher might write that a report was excellent. A friend can call a cafe cracking, while a manager is more likely to call a plan great or brilliant.
Etymology
Cracking comes from the verb crack, which goes back to Old English cracian, meaning to make a sharp breaking sound or split apart. The technical noun keeps that physical idea because heavy oil molecules are broken into smaller ones. The later British informal adjective and adverb grew from the same base and came to suggest force, liveliness, and strong positive effect.