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THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE

Not all it’s cracked up to be

Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.

01 / UNDERSTAND

Meaning in plain English

Not as good as people say or suggest it is.

02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT

The expression in a sentence

  1. The much-praised café was not all it was cracked up to be.

03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Quick idiom quiz

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Can you recall the expression?

Which expression from this lesson matches this meaning?

Not as good as people say or suggest it is.
Show the answer

Not all it’s cracked up to be — Not as good as people say or suggest it is.

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Make it yours

Write one sentence using “Not all it’s cracked up to be” about your own life.

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Does your sentence match this meaning?

Not as good as people say or suggest it is.

Compare: The much-praised café was not all it was cracked up to be.

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More ways to understand and use it

When to use it

Use this informal expression when an experience or product disappoints after receiving praise. It sounds critical and compares reality with expectations.

More examples in context

  • For me, working from a hotel is not all it’s cracked up to be.
  • That expensive gadget isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; the battery barely lasts an afternoon.

Usage note

The phrase includes “cracked up to be”, not just “cracked”. Change the tense if needed: “wasn’t all it was cracked up to be”. It does not necessarily mean something is entirely bad.

A short conversation

A: Was the new co-working space worth the price?
B: It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The rooms were noisy.
A: That would make concentrating difficult.

One more practice question

A popular course is “not all it’s cracked up to be”. What does this imply?

A. It falls short of the praise it received.
B. It is even better than every positive review.

Check your answer

A. The expression says the actual quality does not match the claims.

Related lessons

Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.

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