cross with its beak
Preserved but no longer current.
Schwenckfeld in 1603 {Theriotropheum Silesia) gave the fable in the Latin verses of Johannes Major; but it would be better known to English readers through Longfellow's "Legend of the Crossbill" from the German of Julius Mosen.
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 with its beak” mean?
Schwenckfeld in 1603 {Theriotropheum Silesia) gave the fable in the Latin verses of Johannes Major; but it would be better known to English readers through Longfellow's "Legend of the Crossbill" from the German of Julius Mosen.
Is “cross with its beak” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.