noun
crumpet
KRUHM-piht
noun
1
A soft, round, griddle-cooked cake with small holes in the top, usually toasted and buttered.
"She spread butter over a warm crumpet and poured the tea."
"Crumpets are a classic British teatime treat."
2
British slang for an attractive person, or people collectively (usually referring to women); considered dated and somewhat crude.
"The old film used "crumpet" in a way that sounds quite sexist today."
How to Use Crumpet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMainly the toasted teatime cake with holes in it; the slang sense for a person is old-fashioned and best avoided.
When to use it
The slang meaning is dated and can sound objectifying — stick to the food sense in modern use.
UK vs US
Crumpets are a British staple, rarely found under that name in the US (English muffins are the closer American equivalent).
Word Forms
crumpets plural
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Etymology
The cake sense goes back centuries, possibly from a Welsh or Breton word for a folded pancake. The slang sense for an attractive person appeared in the 1930s, possibly linked to rhyming slang for "strumpet".