They're Crackin' Their Butts

THE CRACK IN HIS BUTT,
AS OPPOSED TO CRACKING HIS BUTT.
(THANKFULLY, NO ONE I KNOW.)

That's really what the man said. We were at Los Niños Del Flor for breakfast (something new and different) and we commented on how busy the restaurant always is and how diligently — and happily — the staff all work. It's a big place. The owners and staff hustle. They joke and smile all the time. Service is just about instantaneous. We never have to wait for a thing; not even the freshly squeezed orange juice. And the tables are always full. They put in long days and they always seem happy to see everyone that walks in the door.

San Geraldo said, "They're crackin' their butts."

I laughed.

San Geraldo laughed.

Then he asked (of course), "What's it supposed to be?"

I explained that I thought he might have combined the expressions, "They're cracking the whip" with "They're breaking their butts." I said that if he had enunciated correctly (i.e., "cracking" as opposed to "crackin'") he might have gotten away with it.