# cross one's fingers

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To put the middle finger across the index finger, especially
2. To put the middle finger across the index finger, especially:
3. To put the middle finger across the index finger, especially:

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cross-one-s-fingers