Crossed fingers

Crossed fingers

To cross one's fingers, is a hand gesture used to superstitiously wish for good luck or (more commonly in the United Kingdom) to nullify a promise. The supposed loophole of crossing one's fingers whilst making a promise is usually only exploited by school-aged children.

The gesture is referred to by the common expression "fingers crossed", meaning "let's hope for a good outcome".

Traces back to pre-Christian times, when the cross was a symbol of unity and benign spirits dwelt at the intersection point. A wish made on a cross was a way of "anchoring" the wish at the intersection of the cross until the wish was fulfilled.

It originally took two people. A comrade or well-wisher placing his index finger over the index finger of the person making the wish, the two fingers forming a cross. The one person makes the wish, the other empathizes and supports.

Over centuries, the custom was simplified, so that a person could wish on his own, by crossing his index and middle fingers to form an X. But traces remain--two people hooking index fingers as a sign of greeting or agreement is still common in some circles today.

See also

• Double cross