noughts and crosses
- noun
- /nɔːts ənd krɒsɪz/
- UK
:
tres en raya
- You should always go in the middle, Davy, if you want to win noughts and crosses.
Examples
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My brother and I played noughts and crosses during our lunch break to pass the time.
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To win at noughts and crosses, it's essential to block your opponent's moves.
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And then as the game goes on, much like in noughts and crosses, the number of possible moves available to you, legal moves varies, Right.
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She taught her younger sister how to play noughts and crosses on a piece of paper.
Synonyms
3
2.2
A simple game for two people where each places Xs or Os to make three in a row
A game for two players who take turns marking a three by three grid to make three in a row
A game for two people who take turns marking a 3 by 3 grid to make three in a row
A two-player game where players place Xs and Os to make three in a row
A simple two-player game of X and O on a 3 by 3 grid to make three in a row
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from the two literal constituents — the marks 'noughts' (zeros) and 'crosses' — so the parts point to the items involved. However, the expression is a conventionalized name for a specific two-player game, and knowing the words alone does not guarantee a B1 learner will infer it denotes a particular game without contextual cue or prior exposure, making it only partially predictable.
Etymology
Noughts and crosses gets its name from the two marks players draw: a circle called a nought and an X called a cross. Players take turns filling a simple three by three grid to get 'three in a row', so the name reminds you of this small two-player 'game'.