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crickets

noun
/ˈkɹɪk.ɪts/US

Etymology

Sense 2 is derived from the cinematic metaphor of chirping crickets at night, signaling (otherwise) complete quiet.

Definitions

  1. plural of cricket.

  2. Used alone or in metaphorically descriptive phrases

    Used alone or in metaphorically descriptive phrases: absolute silence where meaningful sound is expected; lack of response; no communication.

    • to hear crickets
    • Since then, I've received no response. Not a word. Just… crickets.
    • We asked for an explanation, but all we got was crickets.

  3. Expressing mild annoyance or surprise.

    • "Oh Crickets! I seen you at the The-ayter one Night," she said. "I was there with Ollie Pozozzle of Minneapolis. Me and him come out just behind you. […]"

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for crickets. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA