crossbill
noun/ˈkɹɒsbɪl/
Etymology From cross + bill.
1
Any of various finches of the genus Loxia, whose bill crosses over at the tips; they are specialist feeders on conifer cones.
2
Law A bill brought by a defendant, in an equity or chancery suit, against the plaintiff, respecting the matter in question in that suit.
- he not having the money ready[…] filed a bill for a specific performance, evidently to gain time. The vendors filed a crossbill; and afterwards the purchaser became a bankrupt1836, Edward Burtenshaw Sugden, A Practical Treatise of the Law of Vendors and Purchasers of Estates:
- Hyponyms
- common crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, Hispaniolan crossbill, Loxia megaplaga, parrot crossbill, Loxia pytyopsittacus, red crossbill, Scottish crossbill, Loxia scotica, Cassia crossbill, Loxia sinesciuris, two-barred crossbill, Loxia leucoptera bifasciata, Loxia leucoptera, white-winged crossbill, Loxia leucoptera leucoptera