double cross

¹

noun

1. a betrayal or swindle of a colleague.
2. an attempt to win a contest that one has agreed beforehand to lose. Compare cross ( def 21 ).
3. Genetics. a cross in which both parents are first-generation hybrids from single crosses, thus involving four inbred lines.

double-cross

²

[ duhb-uhl-kraws, -kros ]

verb (used with object)

, Informal.

1. to prove treacherous to; betray or swindle, as by a double cross.

double-cross

¹

verb

1. tr to cheat or betray

noun

1. the act or an instance of double-crossing; betrayal

double cross

²

noun

1. a technique for producing hybrid stock, esp seed for cereal crops, by crossing the hybrids between two different pairs of inbred lines

Derived Forms

• ˈdouble-ˈcrosser, noun

Other Words From

• double-crosser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of double cross¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Origin of double cross²

First recorded in 1900–05

Idioms and Phrases

A deliberate betrayal; violation of a promise or obligation, as in They had planned a double cross, intending to keep all of the money for themselves . This usage broadens the term's earlier sense in sports gambling, where it alluded to the duplicity of a contestant who breaks his word after illicitly promising to lose. Both usages gave rise to the verb double-cross . [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Made from recycled ocean plastics and spandex, this fully lined top features a scoop neck, thick straps, a double cross back, and cut-out holes in the front that allow water to pass through.

From Outside Online

Without that break, the Double Cross deception plan which ensured the success of the D-­Day landings could never have gone ahead.

From The Daily Beast

One, the Polish spy Roman Czerniawski, had already changed sides twice before he was brought into the Double Cross team.

From The Daily Beast

The Double Cross deception may sound like something out of fiction.

From The Daily Beast

Indeed, Stalin was better informed about the Double Cross system than Churchill himself.

From The Daily Beast

It looks to me like Uncle Sam was goin' to get the double cross.

From Project Gutenberg

I should have been forced to double-cross my boss, and I'd have hated it.

From Project Gutenberg

Formerly pennies were marked with a double cross and crease, so that it might easily be broken into two or four parts.

From Project Gutenberg

And I know youre trying to get the logs cheap now, and give them the double-cross.

From Project Gutenberg

In all my years and in all my trips over the southwest you are the first westerner to give me the double-cross.

From Project Gutenberg