{"id":2480,"date":"2022-04-20T03:34:25","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T03:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2480"},"modified":"2022-04-20T03:34:25","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T03:34:25","slug":"fingers-crossed-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/fingers-crossed-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Fingers Crossed - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to wish yourself or someone else good luck? If so, you could say that you have your \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The meaning of the expression \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d is to wish yourself or someone good luck. If someone were to tell you they are going into an interview for work, you could look at them and say \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d while making the hand gesture of crossing your index and middle fingers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You could also make the gesture alone or say \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d without making the gesture. Some people may make the gesture of crossing their fingers and then accompany it by saying \u201c<em>good luck<\/em>\u201d instead of \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>.\u201d All variations mean the same thing \u2013 you\u2019re wishing the other person good fortune with their endeavors.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll use the saying for yourself when asking other people to wish you luck. For example, you could say, \u201cI\u2019m going in for that interview I told you about; <em>fingers crossed<\/em> for me!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThat client said he was going to sign for a million dollars. <em>Fingers crossed <\/em>he\u2019s not wood, and he comes back tomorrow to close the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTiffany is about to go on stage for her scene. I hope she does well, <em>fingers crossed<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSara just went in for the Bar exam. She\u2019s studied hard; let\u2019s hope she passes. <em>Fingers crossed<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur dad just went into the OR for a triple bypass. The doctors say it's touch-and-go at this time, so, <em>fingers crossed<\/em> that he makes it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re heading to the ranch this weekend for some horse riding. I hope it's good weather; we all have our <em>fingers crossed<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2481\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Fingers-Crossed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"212\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2482\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Fingers-Crossed2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"244\" height=\"213\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Fingers Crossed Idiom Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin of the saying \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d predates the birth of Christ. The pagans in Europe would cross their index fingers to form a cross, similar to the \u201c<em>sign of the cross<\/em>\u201d used in Christianity. The pagan religions believed this sign was a symbol of good luck.<\/p>\n<p>The intersection of two lines at right angles is part of \u201c<em>sacred geometry<\/em>,\u201d forming a junction where benevolent spirits reside. Creating the cross with your fingers allowed you to make a wish in the presence of these spirits.<\/p>\n<p>In the 14th century, in war times, soldiers would avoid crossing fingers with each other as a sign of good luck. The saying would only evolve in writing much later as an expression of good luck. Language experts are unsure of the first appearance of the phrase in writing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fingers Crossed Meaning - What Does Fingers Crossed Mean? Business English Success\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9tRkfSDlrjw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Fingers Crossed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Wish me luck.<\/li>\n<li>Good luck.<\/li>\n<li>Hoping and praying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Fingers Crossed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No way it\u2019s going to work.<\/li>\n<li>That\u2019s hopeless.<\/li>\n<li>No way you\u2019ll make it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Fingers crossed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Fingers Crossed Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may use the saying \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d to describe the action of \u201c<em>jinx<\/em>,\u201d where they promise someone they will do something but never intend to keep their promise. So, while this is a technically correct use of the term, it\u2019s not the proper use or definition of the saying.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Fingers Crossed<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the saying \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d when describing how you\u2019re hoping that something works out as you expect. The phrase suits professional and social use. You could use it at the office when you\u2019re telling someone that you have your \u201c<em>fingers crossed<\/em>\u201d that the client signs the deal. Or, you could use it at home to describe that you hope your new recipe turns out as you planned. The expression is another way of wishing yourself or others good luck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to wish yourself or someone else good luck? If so, you could say that you have your \u201cfingers crossed.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The meaning of the expression \u201cfingers crossed\u201d is to wish yourself or someone good luck. If someone were to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2480"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3113,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions\/3113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}