come across
kʌm əˈkrɔːs
Why bumping into something and seeming cold are one word
The picture Unsought, something crosses over from the far side and lands right in front of you. Look for sends you out searching; come across has the thing cross over to you.
Where the picture shows up in come across
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an object crosses over
I came across an old photo in the drawer.
aɪ keɪm əˈkrɔːs ən oʊld ˈfoʊtoʊ ɪn ðə drɔːr
I found an old photo in the drawer by chance.
You pull the drawer open and an old photo slides forward into your hand.
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a shop crosses over
We came across a good bakery near the station.
wi keɪm əˈkrɔːs ə ɡʊd ˈbeɪkəri nɪr ðə ˈsteɪʃən
We stumbled on a good bakery near the station.
You are walking along and a bakery steps out of the side street in front of you.
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a word crosses over
Have you come across this word before?
hæv juː kʌm əˈkrɔːs ðɪs wɜːrd bɪˈfɔːr
Have you met this word before?
Turning a page, an unfamiliar word crosses over and catches your eye.
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an impression crosses over
He comes across as a bit cold at first.
hi kʌmz əˈkrɔːs æz ə bɪt koʊld ət fɜːrst
He seems a little cold at first.
A cold air comes off the man and reaches your side of the room.
What crosses over is the impression he gives, which need not match who he is.
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the message fails to cross
Your point didn't come across clearly.
jʊr pɔɪnt ˈdɪdənt kʌm əˈkrɔːs ˈklɪrli
Your point didn't get through clearly.
The words you threw fall short and never reach the far bank.
All of it in one picture
Come across is one picture: something crosses from the far side and reaches you. What crosses may be a photo you weren't looking for, a bakery you happened on, or a word that catches your eye. When what crosses is the air a person gives off, that is how he seems to you. And when the words you threw fall short of the far bank, your point never got through.