cracker
/ˈkrækə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkrækər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkra-kər/ (ame, mw)
cracker — 名詞
- crackersingular
- crackersplural
1. a crisp, usually flat savoury biscuit that snaps easily and is often eaten with
薄脆餅乾
薄而硬、常配起司吃的鹹餅乾
a crisp, usually flat savoury biscuit that snaps easily and is often eaten with cheese, soup, or a spread.
Emma spread soft cheese on a cracker before handing the plate around.
Emma 先在薄脆餅乾上抹軟起司，再把盤子遞給大家。
cracker with cheese — common serving pattern
The waiter brought tomato soup with two plain crackers on the side.
服務生送來番茄湯，旁邊配了兩片原味薄脆餅乾。
crackers with soup — typical pairing
Christopher kept a packet of salt crackers in his desk for late meetings.
Christopher 在桌子抽屜裡放了一包鹽味薄脆餅乾，好在開晚會議時吃。
After the picnic, only one broken cracker was left in the tin.
野餐結束後，鐵盒裡只剩下一片碎掉的薄脆餅乾。
- biscuit
broader word; can also include sweeter baked snacks in British English
- wafer
usually thinner and lighter than a cracker
- crispbread
typically larger and more bread-like than an ordinary cracker
文法句型
eat a cracker
cracker with cheese
packet of crackers
用法筆記
Usually refers to a dry savoury biscuit rather than a soft sweet treat. Distinguish from sense 5, which is the paper party item people pull apart at the table.
常見錯誤
2. a person or a tool that works out a code, password, or number lock by finding th
破解器
破解密碼、代碼或號碼鎖的人或工具
a person or a tool that works out a code, password, or number lock by finding the pattern or testing many possibilities.
The museum hired a code cracker to read numbers in the old diary.
博物館請來一位解碼者，想讀出那本舊日記裡的數字訊息。
code cracker + solve hidden message
Our security team ran a password cracker against weak test accounts.
我們的資安團隊用破解器測試那些太弱的測試帳號。
password cracker + test weak accounts
The safe company sells a cracker that checks number patterns automatically.
那家保險箱公司販售一種破解器，會自動檢查號碼規律。
Hari built a simple cracker to guess short Wi-Fi passwords.
Hari 做了一個簡單的破解器，專門猜短的 Wi-Fi 密碼。
- codebreaker
more usual for a person solving secret writing
- decoder
often describes a device rather than a human solver
文法句型
code cracker
password cracker
cracker + for + passwords
用法筆記
This sense can refer to either a person or a device. Distinguish from sense 3: here the focus is solving the code or lock itself, not breaking into a whole computer system.
常見錯誤
3. someone who enters another person's computer system without permission, usually
非法駭客
未經允許闖入他人電腦系統的人
someone who enters another person's computer system without permission, usually to steal information, change data, or cause damage.
A cracker copied customer records from the travel company's server overnight.
一名非法駭客在夜裡從那家旅行公司的伺服器複製了客戶資料。
cracker + copy stolen data from server
Police arrested the cracker after he broke into the bank's network.
那名非法駭客闖進銀行網路後，警方就逮捕了他。
break into + network for illegal access
The school warned parents that a cracker had changed students' login passwords.
學校提醒家長，有非法駭客改掉了學生的登入密碼。
Amani reported the cracker when strange files appeared on the office computer.
辦公室電腦裡出現奇怪檔案時，Amani 就通報了那名非法駭客。
- hacker
common everyday word, especially in news reports about cybercrime
- intruder
broader word that can describe illegal entry into a system
- cybercriminal
more formal and stresses the criminal act itself
- security analyst
a person who protects systems instead of attacking them
文法句型
cracker + break into + system
cracker + steal + data
a cracker attacked the network
用法筆記
In everyday news English this sense is close to hacker and usually implies criminal activity. Distinguish from sense 2, which can describe a code-solving person or tool without meaning a network intruder.
常見錯誤
4. a large refinery machine used to break heavy oil into smaller chemical products.
裂解裝置
煉油廠中分解重油的設備
a large refinery machine used to break heavy oil into smaller chemical products.
Engineers shut the cracker down before replacing a damaged metal pipe.
工程師先把裂解裝置停機，才更換受損的金屬管。
shut the cracker down — plant operation pattern
The new cracker helps the refinery produce more petrol from thick oil.
新的裂解裝置能幫助煉油廠把濃重原油做成更多汽油。
cracker in an oil refinery
A warning light flashed when pressure inside the cracker rose too quickly.
裂解裝置內部壓力升得太快時，警示燈就亮了。
Workers in hard hats checked the cracker from a platform above the tanks.
戴著安全帽的工人站在槽體上方的平台檢查裂解裝置。
- cracking unit
more technical term in refinery writing
- reactor
broader industrial word and not always specific to cracking
文法句型
shut the cracker down
pressure inside the cracker
run the cracker
用法筆記
Used mainly in the oil and chemical industry. It names the equipment where heavy hydrocarbons are split into smaller products, not the workers who operate the plant.
常見錯誤
5. a decorated paper tube for parties, especially Christmas meals in the UK, that p
拉炮
拉開會爆響、內有小禮物的紙筒
a decorated paper tube for parties, especially Christmas meals in the UK, that pops when two people pull it apart and usually holds a small gift or joke.
At dinner, Min and her aunt pulled a cracker and laughed at the paper crown.
晚餐時，Min 和阿姨一起拉開拉炮，還笑著看裡面的紙皇冠。
pull a cracker + paper crown
Each place on the table had a silver cracker beside the napkin.
桌上每個座位旁邊都放著一支銀色拉炮。
cracker set at each place
The children argued over who would keep the toy from the cracker.
孩子們為了誰能留下拉炮裡的小玩具而吵了起來。
Lucía saved the joke from her cracker and read it again on the train.
Lucía 把自己拉炮裡的笑話紙條留下來，在火車上又看了一次。
- Christmas cracker
more explicit name for the same party item
- party favour
broader term; not every party favour pops when pulled
文法句型
pull a cracker
cracker with a paper hat
joke from a cracker
用法筆記
Most common in British English and strongly linked to Christmas meals and parties. Distinguish from sense 6, the explosive firework that is lit outside.
常見錯誤
6. a small firework that bursts with a sharp bang when you light it.
鞭炮
點燃後會大聲爆開的小型煙火
a small firework that bursts with a sharp bang when you light it.
The boy lit a cracker in the lane, and the dog ran indoors.
那個男孩在巷子裡點了鞭炮，狗就立刻跑進屋內。
light a cracker — typical verb
A string of crackers went off behind the temple before sunrise.
天還沒亮，廟後面就有一串鞭炮接連爆開。
string of crackers + go off
Hoa covered her ears when the first cracker exploded near the gate.
第一枚鞭炮在門邊炸開時，Hoa 立刻摀住耳朵。
Shop owners banned crackers after one sparked a small fire outside.
有一家店外面被鞭炮引起小火後，店主們就禁放鞭炮了。
- firecracker
more explicit word, especially when you want to stress the fireworks sense
- banger
informal British word for a loud firework
文法句型
light a cracker
set off crackers
cracker exploded
用法筆記
Common with verbs like light, set off, and explode. Distinguish from sense 5, which is the paper party item pulled open by hand rather than a firework with a fuse.
常見錯誤
7. something, or sometimes a person, that is especially good, lively, or amusing.
超棒的
口語指非常好或很精彩的人事物
something, or sometimes a person, that is especially good, lively, or amusing.
That last song was a cracker, and the whole bus sang the chorus.
最後那首歌超棒的，整台巴士都跟著唱副歌。
be a cracker — direct praise
Everyone said the young keeper was a cracker in Saturday's match.
大家都說那個年輕守門員超棒的，在週六比賽裡表現很好。
cracker used for a person
Maeve brought a cracker of a story to the campfire after dinner.
Maeve 在晚餐後的營火旁講了一個超棒的故事。
The little café is a cracker once the lights come on at night.
那家小咖啡館晚上亮起燈後，整個感覺就超棒的。
- dud
informal opposite for something disappointing
文法句型
be a cracker
a cracker of a + noun
用法筆記
Informal and chiefly British. It often appears after be or in the pattern a cracker of a + noun to praise something as unusually good or enjoyable.
常見錯誤
8. a harsh slur aimed at low-income white people, especially in the American South.
白窮鬼
美國南方辱稱貧窮白人的說法
a harsh slur aimed at low-income white people, especially in the American South.
The documentary explains why cracker is offensive in many American communities.
那部紀錄片說明了為什麼「cracker」這個白窮鬼說法在許多美國社群裡都很冒犯。
quoted discussion of an offensive term
Our teacher said cracker appears in old stories, but students should not use it.
老師說「cracker」這個白窮鬼用語會出現在舊故事裡，但學生不應該拿來使用。
usage warning: discussed, not recommended
In the article, the speaker was condemned for calling his neighbour a cracker.
那篇文章裡，說話者因為把鄰居叫成「cracker」這個白窮鬼稱呼而遭到譴責。
The museum label notes that cracker was used as a class insult in the South.
博物館標示指出，「cracker」曾被當成美國南方的階級辱稱，也就是白窮鬼這類說法。
- redneck
related and also sensitive, but broader and not identical in meaning
- poor white
descriptive phrase that names the group without using a slur
文法句型
call somebody a cracker
cracker is offensive
use the word cracker
用法筆記
Strongly offensive and best treated as a historical or quoted term. It appears mainly in reporting about class prejudice in the US South, not as a neutral description.