crossman
See also: Crossman
English
editEtymology
editFrom cross + -man; perhaps related to on the cross (“dishonestly”).
Noun
editcrossman (plural crossmen)
- (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
edit- John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
French
editEtymology
editPseudo-anglicism, derived from cross + -man
Pronunciation
editNoun
editcrossman m (plural crossmen or crossmans, feminine crosswoman)
- (male) cross-country runner
See also
editCategories:
- English terms suffixed with -man
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English slang
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with quotations
- French pseudo-loans from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns