"Crack" as a positive noun?
In Spanish and Catalan, the expression is with crack as a noun.
Messi es un crack.
Your example uses it as a noun too. In English, we don't use the word as a noun in the same way. Instead we use it as an adjective meaning something very similar.
crack (adj.): first-rate; excellent
It's not nearly as common as the Spanish expression, though. In Castellano and Catalan, I hear it commonly in reference to all types of top tier athletes. The closest English word I can think of that functions as a noun and means something similar is stud. "A-rod used to be a stud, but now he's a broken down injury liability."
In English the most common usage with the adjective "crack" is: He's a crack shot, meaning He's an excellent marksman.
In Ireland, crack is a form of slang. If you say someone or someplace is great crack, you mean that they are very entertaining and/or fun.
This derives from the Gaelic word craic, meaning a term of fun, amusement, gossip and interesting conversation. Craic can be used as a noun also. For example, you could say We had great craic in the town last night.
No, you wouldn't say it that way. With this meaning, it's an adjective. You can say "you're a crack soccer player."
See crack definition:
adj.: Excelling in skill or achievement; first-rate: a crack shot; a crack tennis player.
As the other answers have noted, you're actually asking whether you can use "crack" as a positive noun, not adjective.
The answer is "yes," for two reasons:
- "Nouning" of adjectives is an acceptable means of forming new expressions in English.
- The OED lists multiple meanings of the noun form of "crack" that could apply. Here's the most applicable definition, which includes citations dating back as far as the 17th Century:
That which is the subject of boast or eulogy; that which is ‘cracked up’; a horse, player, ship, regiment, etc. of superior excellence.
In your example the word crack is being used as a noun, not an adjective. English does not use the word crack this way, and your example is not grammatical. However, English does sometimes use the crack as an actual adjective, that is, a real adjective and not what you wrote:
He's a crack hitter.
That lady's a crack shot.
Note that in order for this to make sense, you have to include a noun after the adjective crack.