Double-crossing is when one partner breaks a previously agreed-upon agreement, often associated with betrayal and backstabbing. The origin of the phrase may come from fixed horse races in the 1800s or the practices of thieves in 19th-century England. It is not associated with the Double Cross System used by British intelligence in WWII.
When someone is doubly cheated on, it means that one partner has backed out of a previously reached agreement. People can cross paths with each other in a variety of creative ways, ranging from reneging on an agreement outright to doing the opposite of what was agreed upon. As a general rule, this term is associated with treason, as the assumption is that the agreement was reached in good faith and the decision to withdraw from the agreement is a form of treason.
Some people consider double-crossing a form of backstabbing, arguing that when an agreement is reached with someone, both parties are expected to honor the agreement and trust each other. Double-crossing someone betrays that trust, making it difficult to reach agreements in the future due to the constant threat of a repeat of the episode.
There are a number of explanations for the origins of the phrase. One of the most likely dates back to the early 1800s, when a “cross” was a fixed horse race. The use of the term “cross” to describe some sort of concerted criminal activity was very common in this period. If a horse wins that he should have lost, the owner would be charged with a “double cross” that violated the original agreement. In addition to being supported by other uses of the word “cross” for a fixed affair, this explanation appeals to many historians of the word due to clarity and date, which may be related to early uses of “double cross” as a slang term.
Others have suggested that the term may have originated in the practices of thieves in 19th-century England. A thief was someone who would turn in suspected criminals and thieves for a bounty. Many of them took payments from thieves who wanted to stay out of jail, and legend has it that they marked their lists with crosses, using a double cross to mark someone who didn’t pay. This explanation is not entirely satisfactory, however, although it is less spurious than the theory that people double-crossed an agreement when they were illiterate to reflect the idea that they had no intention of keeping it.
Some people also associate the term with the Double Cross System, a tactic used by British intelligence in WWII. This system recruited German agents to feed the German government misinformation, and according to legend, the spies met in room 20, or XX in Roman numerals. However, the term “double cross” predates World War II by at least 100 years, and spies are not usually in the habit of meeting regularly in large groups in the same room.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
