crackingcrack‧ing /ˈkrækɪŋ/ adjective [only before noun] British English informal 
We’ve got two cracking games to look forward to.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- A host of chances went begging and they had a cracking goal from John Hartless ruled out for offside.
- It turned out a cracking match, one of the best for combined action and atmosphere I've seen this season.
Longman Language Activatorwhat you say to tell someone to hurry
spoken · Hurry up or you'll be late for school.· If you want tickets, you'd better hurry up. There's only a few left.hurry up and do something · Hurry up and get your things, it's time to go.
say this when you want someone to hurry, especially when you are annoyed with them for being too slow: · Come on, you two, we're going to be late.· Oh come on! We don't have all day!
also get moving especially American spoken to start to do something or go somewhere more quickly than before: · Come on Sally, get a move on!· I think we'd better get moving, it's only five minutes to boarding time.
spoken say this when you want someone who is driving to hurry: · Step on it. We have a plane to catch.· You'll have to step on it if you're going to be there by eleven thirty.
British spoken to start working quickly: · Get cracking you people! I want the whole house cleaned by four o'clock.get cracking doing something: · When Alf arrives we'll get cracking moving the furniture.get cracking with: · It's time you got cracking with your homework.
British spoken say this when you are ordering someone to do something quickly: · I need to have that job done before lunch. Come on, jump to it!
to start doing something · We can't start until Carol gets here.· I'm starting a new job next week.· Have you started that book yet? (=started reading it)start doing something · I've just started learning German.· It was getting dark so we started looking for a place to stay the night.start to do something · Halfway through the performance, she started to feel a little faint.· Outside, it was starting to rain.
to start doing something. Begin is more formal than start and is used especially in written English: · Once the children were quiet, the teacher began.· They began their holiday in Italy, and then went on to Greece.begin to do something: · More and more people are beginning to do their shopping on-line.· "What do you mean?" she said, beginning to laugh.begin doing something: · The audience suddenly began shouting and cheering.
to finally start doing something, especially work, after you have been avoiding doing it or after something has prevented you from doing it: · Come on Sam - it's time you got down to some homework.get down to to doing something: · When the summer comes, we must get down to painting the outside of the house.get down to business: · OK, can everyone take a seat now, and we'll get down to business.
to start a piece of work that will take a fairly long time: · The exam was almost over and I hadn't even started on question 3.· It was time to start on all those little jobs around the house that he'd been putting off.· We can't start on the building work until planning permission comes through.
to start a long and fairly difficult piece of work, especially in an energetic and determined way: · Philip set about the task with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm.· Why don't we set to work really early, and try to get it finished in one day?set about/set to work doing something: · If there is a serious problem, it's far better to admit it and set about tackling it.set to work to do something: · Workmen had already set to work to clear the fallen trees.set to work on something: · Once in power, the government set to work on major reforms to the tax system.
to start doing something after you have finished doing something else: · Martin marched into the shop and proceeded to hurl abuse at the girl behind the counter.· After listening carefully to my advice, she proceeded to do the exact opposite!
to start doing something after a delay or interruption that has stopped you giving it your full attention: · After lunch the children settled down to finish their science projects.settle down to to doing something: · It was two o'clock before I could finally settle down to writing the next chapter.
to suddenly start a long speech or story, especially if you are criticizing something or giving an entertaining description of something: · Annie arrived late and immediately launched into a lengthy description of the terrible traffic on the roads.· At that point the young man stood up and launched into a passionate party-political speech.
to start a large piece of work or an important activity, especially one that will be difficult or will take a long time: · In the 1950s China embarked on a massive program of industrialization and mechanization.· After leaving his office job, he embarked upon a highly successful writing career.
to gradually start to like, fear, expect etc something over a period of time: · Rowling's latest book is full of all the magic and excitement that her young readers have come to expect.· At first I thought he was a bit strange, but I grew to like and respect him over the years.· My teacher said that this wasn't the kind of work that she'd come to expect of me.
spoken informal to start doing something immediately, because you are in a hurry or there is a lot to do: · Come on! - get cracking. I want this whole house clean by the time I get back.· You'd better get cracking if you want to get to the airport by ten.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES We were sitting round the fire cracking nuts (=opening them).
very good, exciting etc SYN great: (=a noise with a particular kind of sound)· The water moved through the pipes with a loud gurgling noise.
We were sitting round the fire cracking nuts (=opening them). We’ve got two cracking games to look forward to.