Etymology

double-cross

Today it means: To betray or go back on; to deceive someone after having gained their trust and led them to believe that they were being aided. Full definition →

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The story

First recorded in 1834 from thieves' slang cross (or on the cross) to refer to something dishonest, a play on straight or square: a crook going back on his partners would therefore be crossing the crossers, or double-crossing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.