Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a dice cheat or cardsharp.

1591		Greene Notable Discovery of Coosnage in Grosart (1881–3) X 12: I mean not Cros biters at dice, when the Chetor, with a langret, cut contrarie to the vantage, will cros-bite a Card cater tray.
1606		Middleton Your Five Gallants III ii: Screene me a little you whorson old crosse biter.

2. a man who works with a prostitute to trap and then rob an unfortunate victim; his role was to rob the man and then beat him up – allegedly for his gall in attempting to seduce an innocent ‘sister’ or ‘wife’.

1592		Greene Blacke Bookes Messenger 11: I was holden in my time the most famous Crosbyter in all London.
1608		Dekker Belman of London (3rd) H1: The whore is then called the Traffick. The man that is brought in is the Simpler. The Ruffian that takes him napping is the Crosbiter.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 12: These and many more might you haue busied your braine about, and not thus scandalously and satirically to tyrannize ouer vs as your Crossbiter do ouer their Simplers.
1669		Nicker Nicked in Harleian Misc. II (1809) 108: There come in shoals of hectors, trepanners, [...] droppers, gamblers, donnakers, cross-biters.
1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood [Dramatis Personae] mrs. crossbite, an old cheating Jilt, and Bawd to her Daughter.
1674		C. Cotton Compleat Gamester 6: Shoals of Huffs, Hectors, Setters, Gilts, Pads, Biters, Divers, Lifters, Filers, Budgies, Droppers, Crossbyters, etc., and these may all pass under the general and common appellation of Rooks.
1681		Dialogue Between Sam, Ferry-man etc. Upon a Parliament at Oxford in Harleian Misc. II (1809) 126: I take him to be a cross-biter.
1693		Poor Robin [as cit. 1669].