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double-cross

[duhb-uh l-kraws, -kros]
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verb (used with object) Informal.
  1. to prove treacherous to; betray or swindle, as by a double cross.
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Origin of double-cross

First recorded in 1900–05
Related formsdou·ble-cross·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for double-crosser

Historical Examples

  • A local lieutenant told the negro that the big boss police official was known in the department as a double-crosser.

    The Vice Bondage of a Great City or the Wickedest City in the World

    Robert O. Harland

British Dictionary definitions for double-crosser

double-cross

verb
  1. (tr) to cheat or betray
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noun
  1. the act or an instance of double-crossing; betrayal
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Derived Formsdouble-crosser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for double-crosser

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper