ireland.localmean.com/craic
craic
/kræk/CRACK
Local meaning
Fun, enjoyable conversation, social atmosphere, or news about what is happening.
Craic can refer to fun, lively company, entertaining conversation, or the news and atmosphere around an event. In “what’s the craic?” it often asks what is happening rather than whether something is funny.
Examples in context
- What’s the craic for the weekend?
- The music was great and the craic was even better.
How it is used
The spelling craic is now strongly associated with Ireland, but the word’s history is connected with English and Scots crack. It is often used with “the” or in the phrase “for the craic.”
Friendly, social, curious, celebratory, or lightly mischievous.
Greetings, nights out, events, travel, music, and informal plans.
Commonly understood in Ireland; naturalness varies by region, generation, and relationship.
Do not translate every use simply as “fun”; some questions ask for news, plans, or an update.
Spelling and scope
Contemporary Irish English, with regional and generational variation.
- Search and reference forms
crackthe craicwhat's the craicfor the craic
LocalMean keeps common search spellings discoverable. Regional, historical, and Irish-language forms remain attached to one canonical meaning page rather than being split into duplicate entries.
Common patterns
- what’s the craic?
- good craic
- for the craic
- the craic was ninety
Read next
All words →Evidence and further reading
These sources support the vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or cultural context. The entry remains open to correction from Irish speakers, regional communities, and qualified reviewers.
- Craic — English meaningCambridge Dictionary
Dictionary definition and Irish English label for enjoyable social time, conversation, and fun.
- Craic — Irish Pronunciation DatabaseForas na Gaeilge / Teanglann
Official Irish-language pronunciation resource showing regional recordings for craic.
- The Vocabulary of Irish EnglishOxford Academic
Scholarly chapter on the vocabulary of Irish English and the corpus evidence used to describe it.