English Explanatory Dictionary

cross one's fingers

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To put the middle finger across the index finger, especially
  2. To put the middle finger across the index finger, especially:
  3. when wishing for luck, or
  4. when telling a lie (and attempting to escape the moral and other consequence of that lie).

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-cross one's fingers.wav

Word forms

cross one's fingers crosses one's fingers crossing one's fingers crossed one's fingers

Etymology

* As a gesture of good luck, from the Christian notion of inconspicuously making a sign of the cross as an invocation to God. * As a gesture of lying, probably from the Schwurhand, a gesture used in some European countries when taking an oath. The right hand is raised with the index and middle fingers extended upwards (somewhat similarly to a V sign but with the thumb on the side). By crossing the two fingers, the oath is thus symbolically broken.

Related words

cross one's arms cross one's heart have one's fingers crossed keep one's fingers crossed

Translations

Chinese Mandarin: 交叉手指 Finnish: ristiä sormensa French: croiser les doigts German: die Finger kreuzen Italian: incrociare le dita Polish: krzyżować palce Polish: skrzyżować palce Portuguese: cruzar os dedos Russian: скрести́ть па́льцы Spanish: cruzar los dedos Swedish: hålla fingrarna i kors Swedish: korsa fingrarna Swedish: sätta fingrarna i kors
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