# Can something be "crispy" but not "crisp"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567 "2016-06-16T23:15:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/21 "2016-06-17T13:01:54Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > By the same token, what does “irk” add to the English language, when we already have annoy, irritate, vex, gall & exasperate? It gives you a different way to describe work associates who definitely have never orked cows. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/22 "2016-06-17T13:29:09Z")
to my mind, “crispy” means something “crunchy” whether on the surface or throughout. “Crisp” w.r.t. vegetables means not wilted or mushy. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/23 "2016-06-17T14:31:54Z")
Sounds that are crispy but not crisp, e.g., those thin plastic grocery bags that have been banned around here. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/24 "2016-06-17T18:31:02Z")
I agree that ‘crispy’ implies flaky, friable, dry, or otherwise crumbly, while ‘crisp’ does not. Watermelon or a juicy apple may be crisp without being crispy. The edges of a fried egg are crispy, not crisp. Cookies and toast are crispy. Pants can have a crisp crease, but a crispy crease would imply something tactile and unpleasant - a burned edge, or perhaps some foreign material on the pants. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/25 "2016-06-18T13:37:29Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > to my mind, “crispy” means something “crunchy” whether on the surface or throughout. “Crisp” w.r.t. vegetables means not wilted or mushy. > [@brossa](#): > > I agree that ‘crispy’ implies flaky, friable, dry, or otherwise crumbly, while ‘crisp’ does not. Not only can something be crisp without being crispy, it’s not possible for something to be both. Something that is crisp is smooth and will wrinkle but not crumble. Things that are crispy are usually not smooth and will crumble easily. In a nutshell, crispy is brittle, crisp is not. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567/26 "2016-06-20T14:28:45Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Not only can something be crisp without being crispy, it’s not possible for something to be both. Something that is crisp is smooth and will wrinkle but not crumble. Things that are crispy are usually not smooth and will crumble easily. > > In a nutshell, crispy is brittle, crisp is not. I disagree. In fact, I think that everything that can be described as crispy can be accurately described as crisp. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-be-crispy-but-not-crisp/757567.md?page=1)