criss-cross
criss-cross — verb
1. to move across an area in many different directions so that the paths you take f
to move across an area in many different directions so that the paths you take form a crossing pattern — for example, walking back and forth across a field to search for something, or travelling repeatedly through a region along different routes
Ryo criss-crossed the empty parking lot, searching for his lost keys.
transitive: criss-cross + area for searching
Ancient footpaths criss-cross the hills behind the village.
intransitive use: paths criss-cross an area
The delivery driver criss-crossed the city making thirty stops in one morning.
Fine cracks criss-cross the old stone wall like a spiderweb.
Hamza criss-crossed the library several times before he found the history section.
- intersect
more precise for lines meeting at a single point; does not imply many lines in different directions
- weave
suggests an intricate, twisting path through obstacles rather than a pattern of crossing lines
- traverse
focuses on crossing a space from one side to the other, not on the back-and-forth pattern
- run parallel to
describes lines or paths that stay the same distance apart and never cross
文法句型
criss-cross + noun phrase (area, place, surface)
criss-cross + across / through / over + noun phrase
noun phrase + criss-cross (intransitive)
用法筆記
Commonly used transitively (criss-cross + area). The intransitive pattern (paths/lines criss-cross across something) is also natural. This sense can describe literal movement across a space or the static arrangement of lines (roads, cracks, streams) that cross one another.
常見錯誤
criss-cross — adjective
1. describes a design or arrangement in which straight lines run in two or more dir
describes a design or arrangement in which straight lines run in two or more directions and cross each other, forming a grid-like or woven pattern — for instance, the surface of a wire fence or the checked pattern on a piece of fabric
The curtains had a criss-cross design of gold and green threads.
attributive: criss-cross + noun (design)
Antonia drew criss-cross lines on the graph paper to mark the data points.
The garden path was made of criss-cross paving stones with grass growing between them.
A criss-cross pattern of tyre tracks covered the muddy field.
The fence was made of criss-cross wire that the sheep could not push through.
- intersecting
slightly more formal; describes lines that meet at a point
- grid-like
emphasises a regular, organised arrangement of crossing lines, like a map grid
- woven
suggests strands of material crossing each other, as in fabric or a basket
- parallel
lines that run in the same direction and never cross
文法句型
attributive: criss-cross + noun (pattern, design, lines, arrangement)
rarely predicative: be + criss-cross
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively (before a noun). The predicative use ('The lines are criss-cross') exists but is rare in everyday English. The verb sense describes the action or existence of crossing lines; the adjective describes the resulting pattern.