ENGLISH FOR JUNIOR STUDENTS

36
B. CROSS YOUR FINGERS
The cross is an ancient symbol in many cultures and religions.
It is closely linked, of course, with the Christian church.
Scandinavians also used crosses to mark the edges of their territory.
And the cross was a sacred symbol to the Egyptians and to the
Aztecs in Mexico. Today, the word cross is used in many
expressions that seem to have little direct connection to religious
beliefs.
For example, one way of wishing good luck to someone is to
tell him that you will “keep your fingers crossed” for him.
Sometimes you may even cross two of your fingers when you
wish him luck. But, more often, just saying the expression is believed
to be enough to help bring success.
Crossing the fingers when making a wish may be a tradition
many hundreds of years old. But most experts think the expression
is an American one that began about ninety years ago. It probably
has its roots in the ancient Christian belief that making the sign of
the cross would keep away evil spirits and bad luck.
Children often cross their fingers when they tell a small lie. It is
an old belief that lies will not be punished if told while the fingers
are crossed. Many children have unhappily discovered that
crossing their fingers offers no such protection.
Children often use another expression, “cross my heart”, when
they say they are telling the truth. A child usually will make an X
over his heart with his finger while saying it.
Language expert Charles Earle Funk says “cross my heart,”
and crossing the heart with the finger, probably come from the
Roman Catholic Church tradition of making the sign of the cross.
Mr. Funk also says that earlier in this century, children in the United
States often expanded the simple saying. They said, “Cross my
heart and hope to die, And hope the cat will spit in your eye.”
Cross is used in many other ways. If you deceive someone or
confuse them you are “crossing them up.”
And you might become “cross as two sticks” at someone. This
old expression means you are very angry. What do two sticks have
to do with the situation? If you put one stick across the middle of
the other stick, you have a cross. And the word cross is another