at cross-purposes
This page is about the idiom at cross-purposes
Meaning
If you're at cross-purposes with someone, you think you're both talking about the same thing but you're actually talking about different things.
For example
- I was talking to Kyle about Georgia, but we were at cross-purposes. I was talking about Georgia in Russia, and he was talking about Georgia in the U.S.A. We laughed when we realised we were talking about two different "Georgias".
- Jill and I were at cross-purposes today when we were talking about John. I was talking about John Smith, my neighbour, but she thought I was talking John at work!
Learn idioms easily with
Common English Idioms PDF ebook!
Contributor: Matt Errey