cross
n
1 a structure or symbol consisting essentially of two intersecting lines or pieces at right angles to one another
2 a wooden structure used as a means of execution, consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece to which people were nailed or tied
3 a representation of the Cross used as an emblem of Christianity or as a reminder of Christ's death
4 any mark or shape consisting of two intersecting lines, esp. such a symbol (x) used as a signature, point of intersection, error mark, etc.
5 a sign representing the Cross made either by tracing a figure in the air or by touching the forehead, breast, and either shoulder in turn
6 any conventional variation of the Christian symbol, used emblematically, decoratively, or heraldically, such as a Maltese, tau, or Greek cross
7 (Heraldry) any of several charges in which one line crosses or joins another at right angles
8 a cruciform emblem awarded to indicate membership of an order or as a decoration for distinguished service
9 sometimes cap Christianity or Christendom, esp. as contrasted with non-Christian religions
Cross and Crescent
10 the place in a town or village where a cross has been set up
11 a pipe fitting, in the form of a cross, for connecting four pipes
a the process of crossing; hybridization
b an individual produced as a result of this process
13 a mixture of two qualities or types
he's a cross between a dictator and a saint
14 an opposition, hindrance, or misfortune; affliction (esp. in the phrase bear one's cross)
15 Slang a match or game in which the outcome has been rigged
16 Slang a fraud or swindle
17 (Boxing) a straight punch delivered from the side, esp. with the right hand
18 (Football) the act or an instance of kicking or passing the ball from a wing to the middle of the field
20 sometimes foll by: over to move or go across (something); traverse or intersect
we crossed the road
a to meet and pass
the two trains crossed
b (of each of two letters in the post) to be dispatched before receipt of the other
22 tr; usually foll by: out, off, or through to cancel with a cross or with lines; delete
23 tr to place or put in a form resembling a cross
to cross one's legs
24 tr to mark with a cross or crosses
25 tr (Brit) to draw two parallel lines across the face of (a cheque) and so make it payable only into a bank account
a to trace the form of the Cross, usually with the thumb or index finger upon (someone or something) in token of blessing
b to make the sign of the Cross upon (oneself)
27 intr (of telephone lines) to interfere with each other so that three or perhaps four callers are connected together at one time
28 to cause fertilization between (plants or animals of different breeds, races, varieties, etc.)
29 tr to oppose the wishes or plans of; thwart
his opponent crosses him at every turn
30 (Football) to kick or pass (the ball) from a wing to the middle of the field
31 tr (Nautical) to set (the yard of a square sail) athwartships
32 ♦
cross a bridge when one comes to it to deal with matters, problems, etc., as they arise; not to anticipate difficulties
33 ♦
cross one's fingers to fold one finger across another in the hope of bringing good luck
keep your fingers crossed
34 ♦
cross one's heart to promise or pledge, esp. by making the sign of a cross over one's heart
35 ♦
cross one's mind to occur to one briefly or suddenly
36 ♦
cross someone's palm to give someone money
37 ♦
cross the path (of) to meet or thwart (someone)
38 ♦
cross swords to argue or fight
adj
39 angry; ill-humoured; vexed
40 lying or placed across; transverse
a cross timber
41 involving interchange; reciprocal
42 contrary or unfavourable
43 another word for →
crossbred →
1
44 a Brit. slang word for →
dishonest (Old English cros, from Old Irish cross (unattested), from Latin crux; see crux) ♦
crosser n ♦
crossly adv ♦
crossness n
Calvary cross
n a Latin cross with a representation of three steps beneath it
Celtic cross
n a Latin cross with a broad ring surrounding the point of intersection
Charing Cross
n a district of London, in the city of Westminster: the modern cross (1863) in front of Charing Cross railway station replaces the one erected by Edward I (1290), the last of twelve marking the route of the funeral procession of his queen, Eleanor
Cross [1]
n
♦
the
1 the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified
2 the Crucifixion of Jesus
Cross [2]
n Richard Assheton, 1st Viscount. 1823--1914, British Conservative statesman, home secretary (1874--80); noted for reforms affecting housing, public health, and the employment of women and children in factories
cross-
combining form
1 indicating action from one individual, group, etc., to another
cross-cultural, cross-fertilize, cross-refer
2 indicating movement, position, etc., across something (sometimes implying interference, opposition, or contrary action)
crosscurrent, crosstalk
3 indicating a crosslike figure or intersection
crossbones
(from cross (in various senses))
cross assembler
n an assembler that runs on a computer other than the one for which it assembles programs
cross bedding
n (Geology) layering within one or more beds in a series of rock strata that does not run parallel to the plane of stratification, (Also called)
false bedding
cross-bench
n usually pl (Brit) a seat in Parliament occupied by a neutral or independent member
♦
cross-bencher n
cross-buttock
n a wrestling throw in which the hips are used as a fulcrum to throw an opponent
cross colour
n distortion in a colour television receiver in which high-frequency luminance detail is interpreted as colour information and reproduced as flashes of spurious colour
cross-correlation
n (Statistics) the correlation between two sequences of random variables in a time series
cross-country
adj
adv
1 by way of fields, woods, etc., as opposed to roads
cross-country running
2 across a country
a cross-country railway
n
3 a long race held over open ground
cross-cultural
adj involving or bridging the differences between cultures
cross-curricular
adj (Brit, education) denoting or relating to an approach to a topic that includes contributions from several different disciplines and viewpoints
cross-dating
n (Archaeol) a method of dating objects, remains, etc., by comparison and correlation with other sites and levels
cross-dressing
n
1 transvestism
See →
transvestite
2 the wearing of clothes normally associated with the opposite sex
♦
cross-dresser n
cross-examine
vb tr
1 (Law) to examine (a witness for the opposing side), as in attempting to discredit his testimony
Compare →
examine-in-chief
2 to examine closely or relentlessly
♦
cross-examination n
♦
cross-examiner n
cross-eye
n a turning inwards towards the nose of one or both eyes, caused by abnormal alignment
See also →
strabismus
♦
cross-eyed adj
cross-fade
vb (Radio, television) to fade in (one sound or picture source) as another is being faded out
cross-fertilization
n
1 fertilization by the fusion of male and female gametes from different individuals of the same species
Compare →
self-fertilization
2 not in technical use cross-pollination
♦
cross-fertile adj
cross-fertilize
vb to subject or be subjected to cross-fertilization
cross-garnet
n a hinge with a long horizontal strap fixed to the face of a door and a short vertical leaf fixed to the door frame
cross-grained
adj
1 (of timber) having the fibres arranged irregularly or in a direction that deviates from the axis of the piece
2 perverse, cantankerous, or stubborn
cross hairs
pl n two fine mutually perpendicular lines or wires that cross in the focal plane of a theodolite, gunsight, or other optical instrument and are used to define the line of sight, (Also called)
cross wires
cross-index
n
1 a note or notes referring the reader to other material
vb
2 intr (of a note in a book) to refer to related material
3 to provide or be provided with cross-indexes
cross-legged
adj
1 sitting with the legs bent and the knees pointing outwards
2 standing or sitting with one leg crossed over the other
cross-link , cross-linkage
n a chemical bond, atom, or group of atoms that connects two adjacent chains of atoms in a large molecule such as a polymer or protein
cross-match
n (Immunol) to test the compatibility of (a donor's and recipient's blood) by checking that the red cells of each do not agglutinate in the other's serum
cross-nodal
adj having to do with interaction between the senses
cross of Lorraine
n a cross with two horizontal bars above and below the midpoint of the vertical bar, the lower longer than the upper
Cross of Valour
n the highest Canadian award for bravery, (Abbrev.)
CV
cross-ply
adj (of a motor tyre) having the fabric cords in the outer casing running diagonally to stiffen the sidewalls
Compare →
radial-ply
cross-pollinate
vb to subject or be subjected to cross-pollination
cross-pollination
n the transfer of pollen from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another flower by the action of wind, insects, etc.
Compare →
self-pollination
cross press
n a fall in wrestling using the weight of the body to pin an opponent's shoulders to the floor
cross product
n (Maths)
1 another name for →
vector product
2 another name for →
Cartesian product
cross protection
n (Botany) the protection against a viral infection given to a plant by its prior inoculation with a related but milder virus
cross-purpose
n
1 a contrary aim or purpose
2 ♦
at cross-purporses conflicting; opposed; disagreeing
cross-question
vb tr
2 a question asked in cross-examination
♦
cross-questioning n
cross-refer
vb to refer from one part of something, esp. a book, to another
cross-reference
n
1 a reference within a text to another part of the text
vb
cross relation
n another term (esp. U.S.) for →
false relation
Cross River
n a state of SE Nigeria, on the Gulf of Guinea. Capital: Calabar. Pop.: 2085926 (1995 est.). Area: 20156 sq. km (7782 sq. miles), (Former name (until 1976))
South-Eastern State
cross section
n
1 (Maths) a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp. perpendicular to its longest axis
2 a section cut off in this way
3 the act of cutting anything in this way
4 a random selection or sample, esp. one regarded as representative
a cross section of the public
5 (Surveying) a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line
6 (Physics) a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other
♦
cross-sectional adj
cross-slide
n the part of a lathe or planing machine on which the tool post is mounted and across which it slides at right angles to the bed of the lathe
cross-stitch
n
1 an embroidery stitch made by two stitches forming a cross
2 embroidery worked with this stitch
vb
3 to embroider (a piece of needlework) with cross-stitch
cross-town
adj (U.S. and Canadian) going across or following a route across a town
a cross-town bus
cross training
n training in two or more sports to improve performance, esp. on one's main sport
cross vine
n a woody bignoniaceous vine, Bignonia capreolata, of the southeastern U.S., having large trumpet-shaped reddish flowers
cross wires
pl n another name for →
cross hairs
cyclo-cross
n
a a form of cycle race held over rough ground
double cross
n a technique for producing hybrid stock, esp. seed for cereal crops, by crossing the hybrids between two different pairs of inbred lines
double-cross
vb
1 tr to cheat or betray
n
2 the act or an instance of double-crossing; betrayal
♦
double-crosser n
fiery cross
n
1 a burning cross, used as a symbol by the Ku Klux Klan
2 a wooden cross with ends charred or dipped in blood formerly used by Scottish Highlanders to summon the clans to battle
George Cross
n a British award for bravery, esp. of civilians: instituted 1940, (Abbrev.)
GC
Greek cross
n a cross with each of the four arms of the same length
Green Cross Code
n (in Britain) a code for children giving rules for road safety: first issued in 1971
hot cross bun
n a yeast bun with spices, currants, and sometimes candied peel, marked with a cross and traditionally eaten on Good Friday
Iron Cross
n the highest decoration for bravery awarded to the German armed forces in wartime: instituted in 1813
Jerusalem cross
n a cross the equal arms of which end in a bar, (Also called)
cross potent
John of the Cross
n Saint. original name Juan de Yepis y Alvarez. 1542--91, Spanish Carmelite monk, poet, and mystic. He founded the Discalced Carmelites with Saint Teresa (1568). Feast day: Dec. 14
Latin cross
n a cross the lowest arm of which is longer than the other three
Lorraine cross
n See →
cross of Lorraine
Maltese cross
n
1 a cross with triangular arms that taper towards the centre, sometimes having indented outer sides: formerly worn by the Knights of Malta
2 (in a film projector) a cam mechanism of this shape that produces intermittent motion
Northern Cross
n a group of the five brightest stars that form a large cross in the constellation Cygnus
papal cross
n a cross with three crosspieces
patriarchal cross
n a cross with two high horizontal bars, the upper one shorter than the lower
Red Cross
n
1 an international humanitarian organization (Red Cross Society) formally established by the Geneva Convention of 1864. It was originally limited to providing medical care for war casualties but its services now include liaison between prisoners of war and their families, relief to victims of natural disasters, etc.
2 any national branch of this organization
3 the emblem of this organization, consisting of a red cross on a white background
Saint Andrew's Cross
n usually abbreviated to , St Andrew's Cross
1 a diagonal cross with equal arms
2 a white diagonal cross on a blue ground
(C18: so called because Saint Andrew is reputed to have been crucified on a cross of this shape)
Saint Anthony's Cross
n usually abbreviated to , St Anthony's Cross another name for →
tau cross
Saint George's Cross
n usually abbreviated to , St George's Cross a red Greek cross on a white background
sign of the cross
n (Chiefly R.C. Church) a gesture in which the right hand is moved from the forehead to the breast and from the left shoulder to the right to describe the form of a cross in order to invoke the grace of Christ
single-cross
n (Genetics) a hybrid of the first generation between two inbred lines
Southern Cross
n
1 a small conspicuous constellation in the S hemisphere lying in the Milky Way near Centaurus. The four brightest stars form a cross the longer arm of which points to the south celestial pole, (Formal names)
Crux, Crux Australis
2 (Austral) the flag flown at the Eureka Stockade
Stations of the Cross
pl n (R.C. Church)
1 a series of 14 crosses, often accompanied by 14 pictures or carvings, arranged in order around the walls of a church, to commemorate 14 supposed stages in Christ's journey to Calvary
2 a devotion consisting of 14 prayers relating to each of these stages
tau cross
n a cross shaped like the Greek letter tau, (Also called)
Saint Anthonys cross
Victoria Cross
n the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to the British and Commonwealth armed forces: instituted in 1856 by Queen Victoria