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

Tyson Ropp used an ax to break the ice covering a stock tank on Friday at the Double Cross Cattle Company ranch south of Roberts, Mont.

From New York Times

At the Double Cross Cattle Company, a ranch south of Roberts, Montana, Tyson Ropp used an axe on Friday morning to chop through inches of ice covering a trough so that his bulls could get to their water.

From Seattle Times

Then a double cross happens, and Rachel learns what some viewers might have suspected — that one of her colleagues is in cahoots with Keya!

From Salon

It’s all dangerous deals and double crosses, yet it whiffs on an opportunity for an actually interesting double cross that might have made us sit up and pay attention.

From Los Angeles Times

Macintyre has already made a name for himself through World War II histories such as “Operation Mincemeat” and “Double Cross,” as well as BBC documentaries.

From Washington Post