Cross and Ball
Preserved but no longer current.
The orb of royalty is a sphere or ball surmounted by a cross, an emblem of empire introduced in representa- tions of our Saviour. The cross stands above the ball, to signify that the spiritual power is above the temporal.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Cross and Ball” mean?
The orb of royalty is a sphere or ball surmounted by a cross, an emblem of empire introduced in representa- tions of our Saviour. The cross stands above the ball, to signify that the spiritual power is above the temporal.
Is “Cross and Ball” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.