A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

cross something off • cross something out
cross something off —take an item off a list; disregard such
an item: They crossed off ice cream from the grocery list. It’s
just too cold for ice cream.
cross something out—cancel an item on a list, etc. by drawing
a line through it: He wrote in pencil, and then crossed the
words out with thick, dark lines that nearly tore the page.
cross the finish line • cross the line
cross the finish line —
1
. cross the line which marks the end
of a race: Williams had been declared the winner, both for
crossing the finish line first and on a corrected time basis. 2.
complete a task: By the year 20
1
5 we can cross the finish line
and know that all children with visual impairment have at-
tained the right to education.
cross the line —
1
. = cross the finish line 
1
: Catherine Coey was
the first woman to cross the line in a time of 45 min. 57 sec.
2. overstep the limits of decency, respectability, etc.: It is only
when women cross the line drawn by patriarchy that real pos-
sibilities begin to emerge.
Note:
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase get one’s lines crossed—(also: get one’s wires crossed)
misunderstand or be confused about smth.: I thought I actually
got my lines crossed, and might have misread the bus schedule,
and sent my child out to the bus stop too early.
cross the T • cross the t’s
cross the T —(Navy) cross ahead of enemy ship’s line of ad-
vance approximately at right angles, thus securing tactical ad-
vantages: This maneuver, known as “crossing the T,” has been
the dream of all admirals.
cross the t’s —
1
. (also: stroke the t’s) draw the horizontal line
across the upright of the letter “t”: There was something fa-
miliar about the handwriting. The way the writer crossed the
t’s too high. 2. (in the phrase “dot the i’s and cross the t’s”) be
very thorough; meticulously stick to accepted routine: They
had been careful to engage the accounting firm and had really
crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s. Cf.: dot the last i and cross the
last t— carefully finish a project: Most of you are not quite ready
to dot the last “i” and cross the last “t” of your thesis.