crossman

noun

crossman

noun

Etymology From cross + -man; perhaps related to on the cross (“dishonestly”).

1

Obsolete, Slang A 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:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.