craque

of uncertain origin; unless one assumes that the 'craque' is something that sounds, that cracks. collin d'harleville made a pretty comedy called 'mr. de crac in his little castle'; it is a gascon who exaggerates the mania to exaggerate. in the absence of historical information, one wonders whether it is the piece that suggested the locution of 'craque', or the locution that suggested the name of the character.