Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a swindler; a cheat.

1592		Greene Disputation Betweene a Hee and a Shee Conny-Catcher (1923) 27: Some cowardly knaves, that for feare of the gallowes leave nipping and foysting, become crosbites; knowing there is no danger therein but a little punishment, at most the pillory.
1630		J. Taylor ‘A Brood of Cormorants’ in Works (1869) III 8: Liues like a Gentleman by sleight of hand, / Can play the Foist, the Nip, the Stale, the Stand, / The Snap, the Curb, the Crossbite, Warpe and Lift, / Decoy, prig, Cheat (all for a hanging shift).
1672		Wycherley Love in a wood n.p.: The Persons [...] Mrs. Crossbite, an old cheating Jilt, and Bawd to her Daughter.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Cross bite, one who combines with a sharper to draw in a friend (cant).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1834		‘Jack Downing’ Andrew Jackson 148: A martinet of the drill, a cross-bite of the course, or a bell-swagger of the tavern.

2. an act of trickery.

1667		R. L’Estrange (trans.) Visions of Quevedo 318: We understood somewhat too of the Cross-bite, and the use of the frail Dye.
1698		D. Kennedy The late history of Europe 150: This unexpected Crossbite did so daunt 2 or 3 of the Villains, as they broke off and abandon’d the design.
1839		(con. 1715) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 111: The devil! [...] Here’s a cross-bite.

3. see crossbiter n.