crack team

English

Etymology

From crack (“highly trained and competent”, adjective) +‎ team (“group of people”). First attested in the early 19th century, originally with reference to horse racing.

Noun

crack team (plural crack teams)

A highly skilled, experienced and efficient team.
She set the agency's crack team of detectives on the case.
- 1834 October 1, “Surrey Agricultural Association”, in The Standard, number 2306, London, page 3:
  The signal for starting was given at eleven o'clock, and horses, oxen, and men appeared equally to enter the scene; here was no false starting, no attempt at jockeying, no underhand endeavours to exclude the crack teams—honest competition and honest rivalry […]
- 1888 March 19, “India.”, in The Times (Latest Intelligence section), number 32337, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5:
  He then proceeded to congratulate them on the distinction gained by the splendid victory over the crack team composed of the Commander-in-Chief and his Staff, […]
- 2012, Nancy L. Cohen, Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America, Catapult, →ISBN:
  Bush and Cheney put a crack team of lawyers and spin doctors into the Florida fight, while the Republican secretary of state, Katherine Harris, consistently interpreted Florida election law in ways favorable to Bush and adverse to Gore.
- 2013, Paul Ingrassia, Joseph B. White, Comeback: The Fall & Rise of the American Automobile Industry, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
  Pressed by pending U.S. clean-air regulations, a crack team of Honda engineers had been assigned to develop an engine that could satisfy the new law.
- 2024 May 26, “Lights, camera…inaction!”, in The Economist (Britain section)‎^[1], London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:
  In 2019, when Theresa May was in danger of being ousted as prime minister by members of her own party, a crack team carried around gaffer tape in different colours so that they could tape over door signs lest she be photographed next to a sign saying “EXIT” (another trap that Mr Sunak has already fallen into).
  (Can we archive this URL?)

Synonyms

dream team

Translations

good team