The shit blog of Paul Chris Jones

What does 'double-crossing' mean? Is it possible to be 'tripled-crossed' or even just 'crossed'?

I think it means when you've been tricked. Someone who you thought was on your side, is actually your enemy.

Wikipedia says:

Double cross is a phrase meaning a betrayal or to betray

I agree that the phrase means to betray someone - but where does the phrase itself come from?

Thefreedictionary says the meaning of double-crossing is:

To betray by acting in contradiction to a prior agreement.

Maybe a 'single cross' isn't a betrayal, but to hurt someone without any prior agreement. A 'cross'. This website says the meaning of 'crossing' is:

go against someone, insult someone.

I'm still confused. And what about triple-crossing? Here's a quote from the website Cinemas Online and ionlinemovie.com, respectively:

This is the story of Leo, a con man whose life of crossing, doublecrossing, and triplecrossing creates a thick web of deceit as you'd expect.

Here he weaves a complicated plot of double and triplecrossing amongst various factions of the criminal underworld

There's more references to triplecrossing on google, but not many - only has 159 results.


Let's do some hypothetical situations involving crossing, doublecrossing, triplecrossing, and single agents, double agents, and triple agents.

The (single) agent shot the German in the face.

The American double agent, posing as a German nazi, stole secret nazi documents.

The German triple agent, posing as an American agent posing as a German nazi, sabotaged America's spy information about Germany.

The American 'crossed' the Germans by blowing up their airfields.

The Russians promised the Germans some tanks in exchange for American POWs, but when the exchange took place the Germans were double crossed and the POWs were taken without the tanks being provided.

Frodo was betrayed (double crossed) by Gollum on the way to Mordor.

Gollum double crossed Frodo and stole the ring from him, then promised it to Sauron but double crossed him too (in total, a triple cross) by stealing it for himself.