double cross

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.
Origin
1825-35

double-cross

[duhb-uh l-kraws, -kros] /ˈdʌb əlˈkrɔs, -ˈkrɒs/
verb (used with object), Informal.
1.
to prove treacherous to; betray or swindle, as by a double cross.
Origin
1900-05
Related forms
double-crosser, noun
Examples from the web for double cross
  • She manages to escape and decides to double cross her gang and sell the chips for herself.
  • But don't double cross him or he will roll up the sleeves of his white silk shirt and get right after you.
  • There is a ton about loyalty and work and betrayal and cross and double cross.
  • In time, each participant's lust, greed and craving for raw power drives him to double cross and backstab his fellow perpetrators.
British Dictionary definitions for double cross

double cross

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

double-cross

verb
1.
(transitive) to cheat or betray
noun
2.
the act or an instance of double-crossing; betrayal
Derived Forms
double-crosser, noun
Word Origin and History for double cross

double-cross

n.

1834, from double (adj.) + cross (n.) in the sense of "pre-arranged swindle or fix." Originally to win a race after promising to lose it. As a verb from 1903, American English. Related: Double-crossed; double-crossing.

Slang definitions & phrases for double cross

double cross

noun phrase

A betrayal or cheating of one's own colleagues; an act of treachery, often in an illicit transaction: The two suspected dealers were planning a double-cross

verb

: I would never double-cross a pal

Related Terms

give someone the double cross

[1834+; fr the reneging on an agreement to lose, a cross, by actually winning]


Idioms and Phrases with double cross

double cross

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 ]