Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun plural A representation of two bones placed crosswise, usually under a skull, symbolizing danger or death.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun plural A representation of two of the leg bones or arm bones of a skeleton, laid crosswise, often surmounted with a skull, and serving as a symbol of death.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A representation of two
bones crossed diagonally, especially as asymbol ofdanger ordeath
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun two crossed bones (or a representation of two crossed bones) used as a symbol danger or death
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Never reveal the secret of the Jolly Roger: the crossbones are the crossings—the lines that separate the contraries and opposites.
The Bushman Way of Tracking God PhD Bradford Keeney 2010
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As far as the cards go, there was a card for the triangle swap, from Julie - she has cleverly portrayed the Bermuda Triangle on her card, complete with skull and crossbones, which is a little hard to see in the photo.
Archive 2007-07-01 katelnorth 2007
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As far as the cards go, there was a card for the triangle swap, from Julie - she has cleverly portrayed the Bermuda Triangle on her card, complete with skull and crossbones, which is a little hard to see in the photo.
Possibly the best wrapped parcel ever... katelnorth 2007
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Now for a surprise: cross out your ticket with a large X, just like the crossbones of Jolly Roger.
The Bushman Way of Tracking God PhD Bradford Keeney 2010
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Curiously, when one of the research teams was scouting around the United States for ideas to inspire the optimal stop sign, its members noted the effective design used at railroad crossings: two crossed sticks derived from earlier and more broadly used “caution” signs graced with a skull and crossbones.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Show them the Jolly Roger—the skull and crossbones—of your pirate flag.
The Bushman Way of Tracking God PhD Bradford Keeney 2010
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Perhaps the Detroit-style stop sign gained additional appeal from its multiple edges loosely resonating with those vivid, archaic crossbones.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Curiously, when one of the research teams was scouting around the United States for ideas to inspire the optimal stop sign, its members noted the effective design used at railroad crossings: two crossed sticks derived from earlier and more broadly used “caution” signs graced with a skull and crossbones.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Perhaps the Detroit-style stop sign gained additional appeal from its multiple edges loosely resonating with those vivid, archaic crossbones.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Kham/Reuters A crowd of 200 to 300 protesters, some carrying Chinese flags incorporating the pirate's skull and crossbones, marched to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi Sunday to accuse China of violating Vietnam's sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea.
Asia in Pictures 2011
hernesheir commented on the word crossbones
☠, which see.
January 7, 2013