Idiom
go crackers
To go crackers means to become very angry, excited, or slightly crazy, often in a sudden way.
Meanings
To become very angry or lose your temper suddenly.
To become overly excited or start acting wildly, often because of good news or a surprise.
To start behaving as if slightly crazy or irrational, especially from stress or too much pressure.
Definition
If someone goes crackers, they lose their calm and react in an extreme way. It can mean becoming very angry, overly excited, or acting a bit crazy or irrational. It is informal and is used especially in British English.
Examples
- Mum will go crackers if you’re late again.
- The fans went crackers when the band came on stage.
- I’m going crackers trying to finish this report by tomorrow.
- He went crackers at the referee’s decision.
- Don’t go crackers—there’s still time to fix it.
Common mistake
Learners often use it in formal writing, but go crackers is informal and best for casual speech or informal texts.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idiom (verb phrase)s
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- drop the ball To drop the ball means to make a mistake or fail to do something you were responsible for.
- have a chinwag To have a chinwag means to have a relaxed, friendly chat with someone.
- face the music To accept and deal with the unpleasant consequences of what you have done or a difficult situation.