noun
Etymology: cross (III)
1.
a. : firing in combat from two or more points so that the lines of fire cross
gaps in the barrier of artillery … filled by the cross fires of … machine guns — M.H.Armor
b.
(1) : a position or situation wherein the forces of opposing factions meet or cross
a son caught in the emotional cross fire of his parents
(2) : rapid or heated interchange
the cross fire of question and answer
2. : noise or interfering current set up in a telephone or telegraph circuit by the operation of a neighboring circuit — compare cross talk
3. : a sidearm pitch in baseball that cuts across the plate at an angle
4. or cross figure : a pattern in the figure of certain woods caused by distortion of the wood fibers and characterized usually by parallel mottled bands at right angles to the grain