cross-purposes

noun

A conversational game, in which questions and answers are made so as to involve ludicrous combinations of ideas.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of cross-purpose
nouncross-purposes (uncountable)
  1. dateduncountableA conversational game, in which questions and answers are made so as to involve ludicrous combinations of ideas.

    I danced; and so till 12 at night, and to supper, and then to cross-purposes, mighty merry; and then to bed - my eyes being sore.

    1667 January 4 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “December 26th, 1666”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume (please specify |volume=I to X), London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1893–1899, →OCLC
Cite this entry
APA

cross-purposes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-purposes

MLA

“cross-purposes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-purposes. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cross-purposes,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-purposes.

Source: cross-purposes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.