crossman

See also: Crossman

English

Etymology

From cross +‎ -man; perhaps related to on the cross (“dishonestly”).

Noun

crossman (plural crossmen)

1. (slang, obsolete) A thief, forger, or other criminal.
   • 1848, Ned Buntline, The Mysteries and Miseries of New York: A Story of Real Life, Part 1, New York: Benford & Co., page 33:

     There is a house in Cherry street, not far from Catherine Market […] . A little to the north of its door stands an old-time tree; and for many a year it has been known to the “crossmen” and “knucks” of the town as “Jack Circle's watering place” and “fence.”

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary

French

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from cross +‎ -man

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʁɔs.man/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

crossman m (plural crossmen or crossmans, feminine crosswoman)

1. (male) cross-country runner

See also

• crosswoman