cross hairs
–plural noun | 1. | Also called cross wires. fine wires or fibers, strands of spider web, or the like, crossing in a focal plane of an optical instrument to center a target or object or to define a line of sight. |
| 2. | marks for aiding in the positioning of overlaying images for correct registration in printing. Compare register (def. 11b). |
Origin: 1880–85
| cross wire |
noun |
| either of two fine mutually perpendicular lines that cross in the focus plane of an optical instrument and are use for sighting or calibration; "he had the target in his cross hairs" [syn: cross hair] |
