Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To mark with crossing lines.
  • intransitive verb To move back and forth through or over.
  • intransitive verb To move back and forth.
  • noun A mark or pattern made of crossing lines.
  • noun A state of being at conflicting or contrary purposes.
  • adjective Crossing one another or marked by crossings.
  • adverb In a manner or direction that crosses or is marked by crossings.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To form a crisscross; intersect frequently.
  • noun Same as christ-cross.
  • noun A crossing or intersection; a congeries of intersecting lines.
  • noun A game played on a slate, or on paper, by children, in which two players set down alternately, in a series of squares, the one a cross, the other a cipher. The object of the game is to get three of the same characters in a row. Also called tit-tat-to.
  • Like a cross or a series of crosses; crossed and recrossed; going back and forth.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A mark or cross, as the signature of a person who is unable to write.
  • noun A child's game played on paper or on a slate, consisting of lines arranged in the form of a cross.
  • transitive verb To mark or cover with cross lines.
  • adverb In opposite directions; in a way to cross something else; crossing one another at various angles and in various ways.
  • adverb With opposition or hindrance; at cross purposes; contrarily.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To move back and forth (over something.)
  • verb To mark something with crossed lines.
  • noun A pattern of crossed lines.
  • adjective marked with crossed lines
  • adverb crossing one another

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb cross in a pattern, often random
  • noun a marking that consists of lines that cross each other
  • verb mark with or consist of a pattern of crossed lines
  • verb mark with a pattern of crossing lines
  • adverb crossing one another in opposite directions
  • adjective marked with crossing lines

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of Middle English Cristcrosse, mark of a cross, short for Cristcross (me speed), may Christ's cross (give me success).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English "Christ's cross"

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Examples

  • Ganesha, the God of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles, is seated in a posture my kids call crisscross applesauce, what I once called "Indian style" but which, despite this instance of fairly precise nomenclature, is now considered politically incorrect.

    Beth Kohl: Crisscross Applesauce 2008

  • As we zoom in to where the hurricane is right now, you can see these lines here that kind of crisscross around the hurricane.

    CNN Transcript Aug 17, 2007 2007

  • In reality, a network of trails that "crisscross" all of Southwest Virginia is already in place.

    From On High 2006

  • In reality, a network of trails that "crisscross" all of Southwest Virginia is already in place.

    Archive 2006-06-01 2006

  • Henry pulled his feet up under him in a move Claire’s kindergarten teacher called crisscross applesauce.

    Sea Escape Lynne Griffin 2010

  • Henry pulled his feet up under him in a move Claire’s kindergarten teacher called crisscross applesauce.

    Sea Escape Lynne Griffin 2010

  • They had both been born in May, for which emeralds are the birth stone, and gently placed, kind of crisscross, around the main stone.

    The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.com Stories 2009

  • The Turbo design provides a "crisscross" pattern that sizes residue from two directions in one pass.

    unknown title 2009

  • The Turbo design provides a "crisscross" pattern that sizes residue from two directions in one pass.

    unknown title 2009

  • They had both been born in May, for which emeralds are the birth stone, and gently placed, kind of crisscross, around the main stone.

    The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.com Stories 2009

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