Saturday 11 January 2014

Fingers Crossed


Good morning world, I was thinking the other day about the saying “fingers crossed” and wondering where the saying came from. Of course I know what the saying means and all but I wondered why we say it, what started people saying “fingers crossed”, so I decided to do what we do now days when we want to know something. I Goggled it.........and this is what I found.

Origin

To cross one's fingers was a hand gesture commonly used to implore God for protection, as well as to wish for good luck. The gesture is referred to by the common expression "keeping one's fingers crossed" or just "fingers crossed" and has also been historically used in order to allow believers to recognise one another during times of persecution


Modern use
Modern use of the fingers crossed gesture has little bearing on its religious origins.
A hand gesture denoting a hope for good luck
A physical gesture to indicate a wish for good luck.
A verbal wish for luck
As in: "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you" to signify that the speaker is wishing good luck for the recipient. Sometimes hyperbololised, for instance: "I have crossed all of my fingers and all of my toes" to lend emphasis or to communicate additional sincerity.
A means of nullifying the binding nature of a promise or oath
A belief that crossing one's fingers invalidates a promise being made
A means of allowing or lessening the negative connotations of a lie
Some people, mostly children, also use the gesture to excuse their telling of a white lie. This may have its roots in the belief that the power of the Christian cross might save one from being sent to hell for telling a lie.

So here is the question do you say “fingers crossed”?
If so do you say it often?

Do you believe crossing one's fingers does anything other than make your hand hurt, I don't really think it does anything but it doesn't stop me saying it and in fact I say it more than I do it. So I guess another question would be do you just say finger crossed or do you cross you fingers when you say it.





13 comments:

  1. I dont seem to say it much now days but I did as a kid. I don't believe in superstition.

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  2. I used it a lot as a child too. We even had a teacher say keep your fingers crossed for a child if they were seriously ill so that they got better. If we hoped something would happen the way we wanted we would cross our fingers.

    Its made me think now of the saying 'touch wood'

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    Replies
    1. I don't know why people say "touch wood" either and now I am going to wonder about that saying.............lol

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  3. I can remember doing that often when I was a kid. This was interesting to read as I didn't know most of it.

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    Replies
    1. Yes I think it is something many of us did and said a lot as a child but not as much as we get older, also I don't hear my grandchildren saying it so I wonder if it is going out of fashion

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  4. I didn't know the history of finger crossing, either, but I am always fascinated by origins of the things we do or say. Cool! We were always told that it had to be only one hand. If you crossed both hands at the same time (double-crossed) it was bad luck instead of good luck--like the second finger crossing invalidated the first one or something? NOw I'll have to google double-crossed! LOL! ;)

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    1. Yes I am also fascinated by the origins of things, and I also remember being told you should only cross the fingers on one hand as two hand was bad luck.

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  5. Yes, I do still say "fingers crossed" whenever I'm talking about something! I don't actually physically cross my hands though! Interesting post for us today.

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  6. We said it when we were children, but I don't say it now. Since it's no longer related to religion and tends to mean "good luck," I don't believe in it.

    Love,
    Janie

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