crisp

Everyday

1. Crisp means hard and dry in a nice way, so it breaks with a crunch, like fresh toast or an apple. tree →
2. Crisp weather is cold, dry and fresh. tree →
3. Crisp paper or clothes are fresh and smooth. tree →
4. In the UK and Ireland, crisps are thin fried potato slices in a packet (Americans call them chips). tree →
5. A crisp way of speaking is quick and clear. tree →
6. Crisp can also describe hair or a beard that is curly and wiry rather than straight and smooth. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and food, apples, lettuce and biscuits are crisp when fresh and go soft when old. In British school lunchboxes, a packet of crisps is common. In stories, «a crisp autumn morning» and «crisp snow» set the scene. Phrases: a packet of crisps, crisp and fresh, burnt to a crisp, crisp air.

Examples

• This apple is crisp and juicy. tree →
• Can I have a packet of crisps? tree →
• It was a crisp, sunny winter morning. tree →
• Our boots crunched in the crisp snow. tree →
• The toast was burnt to a crisp. tree →
• He gave a crisp new note to the shopkeeper. tree →
• Keep the biscuits in a tin so they stay crisp. tree →
• Salt and vinegar crisps are my favourite. tree →
• His hair is brown and crisp, and his lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes. tree →

Note

Big trap: British «crisps» = American «chips»; British «chips» = American «fries». Adjective forms: crisper, crispest; «crispy» means almost the same. «Burnt to a crisp» means completely burnt.