| has gloss | eng: Craic or crack is a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – the craic. Another sense of crack, found in the north of England, is "news, gossip", which influences the common Irish expression "Whats the crack?" or "Hows the crack?", meaning "how are you?", "how have you been?", or "have you any news?" The context involving news and gossip originated in Northern English and the Scots language. This sense entered into Hiberno-English from the Ulster Scots dialect in Northern Ireland, some time in the mid-20th century. or from 1955, the Duke pulled the bolt on the door of the piggery, and let Coogans old sow out...The Duke had been sitting on top of Kellys gate watching the crack. It can frequently be found in the work of twentieth century Ulster writers such as Brian Friel (1980): You never saw such crack in your life, boys and Jennifer Johnston (1977): I'm sorry if I muscled in on Saturday. Did I spoil your crack? . |