double-cross

See also: doublecross

English

Etymology

First recorded in 1834 from thieves' slang cross (or on the cross) to refer to something dishonest, a play on straight or square: a crook going back on his partners would therefore be crossing the crossers, or double-crossing.

Verb

double-cross (third-person singular simple present double-crosses, present participle double-crossing, simple past and past participle double-crossed)

(transitive) To betray or go back on; to deceive someone after having gained their trust and led them to believe that they were being aided.
Synonyms: quisle, sell out, stab in the back; see also Thesaurus:betray

If you double-cross us, we'll track you down and kill you.
- 1979, First Choice, “Double Cross”, in Hold Your Horses:
  I've been double crossed / By a double dealin', double winnin' / Looks like I'm the one who lost.
(transitive, biology, botany, genetics) Of breeding, to cross twice in hybridization, as (A × B) × (C × D); for example, in commercial hybrid seed corn, A through D are classically inbreds, and their grandoffspring is the seed for sale.

Derived terms

double-crosser

Translations

to betray or go back on

Bulgarian: измамвам (bg) (izmamvam), предавам (bg) (predavam), играя двойна игра
Chinese:
Mandarin: 背叛 (zh) (bèipàn), 出賣 / 出卖 (zh) (chūmài)
German: hintergehen (de), aufs Kreuz legen, ein Doppelspiel treiben mit
Greek: προδίδω (el) (prodído)
Polish: wystawiać do wiatru impf, wystawić do wiatru (pl) pf
Russian: обвести́ вокру́г пальца́ (ru) (obvestí vokrúg palʹcá), преда́ть (ru) (predátʹ)

Noun

double-cross (plural double-crosses)

An instance of betrayal of one who had been led to believe that the betrayer was assisting them.
(biology, botany, genetics) Of a breeding, the hybrid product of double-crossing.

References

Michael Quinion (2004), “Double-cross”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.