Is fingers crossed?

[tluesley]

Is this term based on the sybolism of the crucifix?

[Quizmonster]

Crossing one's fingers for luck might seem like part of an ancient superstition, but the actual words "fingers crossed" did not appear in print anywhere before the mid 1920s! There may be a connection - from earlier times - with making an an inconspicuous 'sign of the cross' which, in religious terms, is a sort of a blessing. In other words, by doing the finger-crossing you're hoping God or the angels will ensure a fortunate outcome. People may have kept their fingers crossed centuries ago, but they certainly didn't say it!

[omblod]

Might the expression originally have been a jocular reference to the crossed-fingers crucifix gesture used to ward off vampires in movies? It would fit in nicely with the date given by Quizmonster.

[Headtime]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Quizmonster is amazing!!! How do you know such things. Do you permanantly inhabit a large library with 7,000 volumes of "When first a word was used"?