I recall the phrase you crack me up and variations of such from my teen years, which is why I thought it must be a recent saying. But as you know, I am more often than not wrong about such things. Thank goodness for research, idiom dictionaries, and the internet...
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Crack up actually has several slang-ish meanings, and my trusty copy of The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer runs down the list, providing "first use" dates for a couple of them. There's crack up as in to suffer an emotional breakdown (early 1900s). Then, crack up meaning to damage or wreck a vehicle or vessel and ato experience a crash (no first use dates for those two definitions). Finally we get to the phrase I'm interested in: crack someone up, meaning to "burst or cause to burst out laughing (1940).
American Slang, 2nd Edition by Robert L. Chapman with Barbara Ann Kipfer agrees with the 1940 date for crack up meaning "to have a fit of uncontrollable laughter." Interestingly, the next entry is "crack wise" from the 1920s, which means to make quick pungent, witty, and often malicious remarks. But I digress.
But wait a minute! The Online Etymology Dictionary has this to say about crack up:
The verbal phrase in the meaning "to break up laughing" is by 1967, transitive and intransitive.
Without getting too specific, 1967 is just about right for my teen years... but doesn't line up with what the other dictionaries say. Here's one more data point for you, then: Your Dictionary's page on 1940s slang lists crack up (burst out laughing). So, I think we're safe with going with the 1940s, at least. A good place to stop.
If you find any other references, please let me know in the comments. Maybe we can push that date back even further into the past?
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| It's an anachronistic High Renaissance crack up! Four Laughing People by Bartolomeo Veneto (c. 1510-30) |
**** A tip o' the hat to author Camille Minichino who suggested this Slang-o-rama phrase!****
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| Image by b0red from Pixabay |
How about this:
ReplyDeleteThe idiom ‘crack up’ is derived from the word ‘crack‘, which means to break down.
It is believed that ‘to crack someone up’ is an American idiom and came from the 1600s. At that time, Women used to apply a thick layer of makeup on their faces, so whenever they laughed, it would crack up and appear flaky
Source: theidioms.com
The same "story" is given at https://www.englishcoursemalta.com/learn/idiom-to-crack-someone-up/
I decided it was safe to use this phrase in a story set in 1941!
Thanks for adding to inventory, Ann!
Hi Camille - Good find! Wow... from the 1600s, eh? I'd say you are definitely in the clear for use the 1940s. (in the clear = 1920s :-) )
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