What does crocked mean?
'Crocked' is an informal adjective used chiefly in British English to describe someone who is injured or otherwise out of action, particularly through sporting mishap, as well as machines or objects that have broken down or become worn out. In American slang it can also mean heavily drunk. The word derives from 'crock', a term for an old earthenware pot that came to be applied figuratively to anything broken-down or worthless — hence an injured footballer being described as crocked, much like a decrepit car or a cracked pot. It carries a breezy, slightly wry connotation rather than a grave one: describing someone as crocked signals casual sympathy rather than alarm, which is why it thrives in locker-room talk, tabloid headlines, and pub conversation while remaining absent from formal or medical prose.
adjective(British informal) Injured or physically damaged; out of action through injury or breakdown. Also, chiefly in American slang, extremely drunk.
- Injured or physically incapacitated (especially through sport); out of action.
- Broken down or worn out (of machines or objects).
- Extremely drunk (American slang).
"He was crocked for the whole season after damaging his knee in the opening match."
"The striker was crocked and missed the entire tournament."
"After three pints too many, he was completely crocked by midnight."
In British sport reporting, to be 'crocked' is the ultimate bad news — one knee tweak and you're lumped in with old pots and clapped-out cars.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does crocked come from?
'Crocked' comes from 'crock', a Middle English word for an earthenware pot or jug, itself of Germanic origin. Because old pots were prone to cracking and becoming useless, 'crock' was extended figuratively to any broken-down person, animal, or machine — most famously in 'old crock'. The adjectival form 'crocked' arose from this figurative use, first meaning worn out or damaged, later developing its slang sense of drunk in American English.
How crocked is actually used
'Crocked' is firmly informal and colloquial. The 'injured/out of action' sense is especially common in British sports journalism and everyday speech; the 'drunk' sense is more American. It is not used in formal or medical writing, where 'injured' or 'incapacitated' is preferred.
Easily confused with crocked
A 'crock' is an earthenware pot or, figuratively, something worthless or a lie, while 'crocked' is the adjectival form meaning injured, broken down, or drunk.
'Cracked' means fractured or crazy, whereas 'crocked' means put out of action by injury or damage.