cracker jacks vs cracker jack :

cracker jacks or cracker jack

“Crackerjack” is an old slang expression meaning “excellent,” and the official name of the popcorn confection is also singular: “Cracker Jack.” People don’t pluralize its rival Poppycock as “Poppycocks,” but they seem to think of the individual popped kernels as the “jacks.” A similarly named candy is “Good and Plenty.” All three have descriptive names describing qualities and shouldn’t be pluralized. A way to remember this: in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” “Cracker Jack” rhymes with “back.”

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  • Take me out to the Hops game -- preferably in a car
    Take me out to the (Hillsb oro Hops) ballgame. Take me out to the (light-rail, ru sh-hour) crowd. Buy me some ($4) peanuts and Crac ker Jacks (wait, there are no Cracker Jacks). I don't care if I ever get back (I almost didn't). Pro baseball returned to the Portland area on Monday, and I was determined to witness it — and leave my car in the dugout (garage). Here's a chronology of my mass ...
    June 18, 2013 - Portland Tribune

  • Summer baseball series on deck at ArtsQuest Center
    Pass the peanuts and Cracker Jack.        
    June 13, 2013 - The Morning Call
  • Jack’s out of the box
    Fans of nostalgia and caramel corn are popping mad at Cracker Jack for taking the “prize inside” digital. “It shocks me that they are doing this,” said Mark Siegel, 48, of Mansfield, outside Back Bay station this week. “It should be a continued tradition to have a prize in each box.” Snackers will still find stickers in each box or bag, but will be directed to crackerjackapp.com to download a ...
    June 8, 2013 - Boston Herald