crack a smile

To smile. I got the baby to crack a smile by clapping and singing. The mood was so somber that no one cracked a smile in response to my joke. Finally, at long last, we got the grieving widow to crack a smile and laugh at a fond memory of her husband.

crack a smile

to grin; to smile. I was tellin' my best jokes, but Jim never cracked a smile. She looked surprised, and then cracked a big, beautiful smile.

crack a smile

Smile, as in Betty was a very serious person; she rarely cracked a smile. This colloquialism transfers crack in the sense of "break" to breaking a serious facial expression into a smile.

See also: crack, smile

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

The unexpected reference led to many a raised eyebrow and even caused Victoria to finally crack a smile.

Piers Morgan savages David and Victoria Beckham for chewing gum and looking miserable at the royal wedding; The Good Morning Britain host joked that David can forget his knighthood now

See, English can be fun and can crack a smile among the most morose.

Now you can crack a smile and never mind the beeswax.

The Diary

Among the guests arriving for the blessing were Owen's former Liverpool team-mates Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, but most failed to even crack a smile as their cars swept past the assembled press pack.

Smile folks . . . you're going to a wedding

Next time you come across a grump in the dumps, flash him a grin and a cheerful "hello." Most people will crack a smile or at least lose the sullen look.

Go ahead, make my day! Your mission brighten someone else's day. Equipment your natural charm and creativity, plus GL's 10 simple starter ideas. Guaranteed result you'll make someone smile and feel loads better yourself!

If he got the joke and laughed, then I was encouraged to crack a smile, too.

My high school spirit: how a caged adolescent heart learned about the meaning of Pentecost. (testaments)

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