Meanings
crossman1
plural crossmen
- obsoleteslangA thief, forger, or other criminal.
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.”
1848, Ned Buntline, The Mysteries and Miseries of New York: A Story of Real Life, Part 1, New York: Benford & Co., page 33
Crossman2
Origin
From cross + -man; perhaps related to on the cross (“dishonestly”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
crossman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossman
“crossman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossman. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crossman,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossman.
Source: crossman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.