skull and crossbones

n. pl. skulls and crossbones

A representation of a human skull above two long crossed bones, used traditionally as a symbol of death or as a warning of the danger of death.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

skull and crossbones

a picture of the human skull above two crossed thighbones, formerly on the pirate flag, now used as a warning of danger or death

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

skull′ and cross′bones

n., pl. skulls and crossbones.

a representation of a front view of a human skull above two crossed bones, orig. used on pirates' flags and now used as a warning sign, as in identifying poisons.

[1820–30]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

skull and crossbones - emblem warning of danger or death

black flag, Jolly Roger, pirate flag, blackjack - a flag usually bearing a white skull and crossbones on a black background; indicates a pirate ship

emblem - special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.

Translations

Totenkopf

tête-de-mort

References in classic literature

And at the zenith of his fame, how he would suddenly appear at the old village and stalk into church, brown and weather-beaten, in his black velvet doublet and trunks, his great jack-boots, his crimson sash, his belt bristling with horse-pistols, his crime-rusted cut- lass at his side, his slouch hat with waving plumes, his black flag unfurled, with the skull and crossbones on it, and hear with swelling ecstasy the whisperings, "It's Tom Sawyer the Pirate!

View in context

Next night we stuck a picture, which Tom drawed in blood, of a skull and crossbones on the front door; and next night another one of a coffin on the back door.

View in context

"There's the last of that old skull and crossbones," he said as he scattered the pieces upon the dark and disappearing waves of the stream; "but I should think it would poison the fishes."

View in context

The Steamship Sir Walter Scott sailed with the skull and crossbones pirate flag.

Ahoy there me hearties; Pirate fun aboard the Sir Walter Scott

'It's almost like during the Soviet Union, when bands used to have their gigs in secret,' says Kreslina, dressed in a black sweater and a cream-coloured scarf bearing the skull and crossbones.

Bands defy Russian crackdown on 'political' music

The rare skull and crossbones emblem was hoisted by HMS Thule which attacked Japanese ships in the Pacific during the Second World War.

Submarine's pirate flag is a lolly Roger

Some participants in the 36th Annual Mermaid Parade gather under a skull and crossbones flag on the Coney Island boardwalk, Saturday, June 16, 2018.

Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer lead New York's Mermaid Parade

The hellraising Motorhead singer first triggered the alarms with the silver skull and crossbones adorning his hat, before the Confederate flag-shaped heavy-duty belt buckle he was wearing set off security scanners upon his second attempt at entry.

PICTURE THIS..

With their Skull and Crossbones flying, the dreaded pirate code.

Your Poem

The embellished chapter plate headings, the map of the Old Junk Shop and occasional skull and crossbones enhance the visual feel to the story of Borroweresque pirates.

Mould, Chris: The Great Cheese Robbery (Pocket Pirates)

Happy Halloween buys - de& ROSE SKULL & CROSSBONES TIGHTS KEEP toddlers snuggly and spooky in these combed cotton, nylon and spandex-mix tights, which feature a smiley skull and crossbones on the knees and feet and have anti-slip grips for tiny terrors learning to walk.

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