# Crossing Your Fingers When You Lie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806 "2006-08-22T21:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/1 "2006-08-22T21:06:27Z")
Why do people cross their fingers when they lie (or at least why did they used to do this)? Thank you in advance to all who reply 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/2 "2006-08-22T21:51:55Z")
[QUOTE=Jim B.] Why do people cross their fingers when they lie (or at least why did they used to do this)? Thank you in advance to all who reply 🙂 [/QUOTE] Here’s what our own Dex had to say about it once… [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfingercross.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfingercross.html) ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/3 "2006-08-22T21:59:46Z")
[QUOTE=Jim B.] Why do people cross their fingers when they lie (or at least why did they used to do this)? Thank you in advance to all who reply 🙂 [/QUOTE] Here’s what our own Dex had to say about it once… [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfingercross.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfingercross.html) …and Wikipedia… [Gesture - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesture) (scroll down to “crossed fingers”) …says that holding them behind your back while doing it gives it the opposite meaning. I’ve heard it called the “Kings X”. This site says that by making it you are keeping yourself “safe” (presumably from whatever misfortune would befall you for lying). [http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/summer/tag/kings\_x.htm](http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/summer/tag/kings_x.htm) ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/4 "2006-08-23T07:56:45Z")
In German, there is no equivalent gesture to “crossing your fingers” to wish good luck; however, I’ve always heard that crossing your fingers behind your back when lying would serve as kind of lightning rod against God’s punishment (even when taking an oath), at least in catholic Bavaria. I don’t know how old this belief/custom is, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/5 "2006-08-23T14:04:43Z")
[QUOTE=constanze] In German, there is no equivalent gesture to “crossing your fingers” to wish good luck; [/QUOTE] I beg to differ. What about “pressing thumbs”? ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/6 "2006-08-23T14:08:43Z")
But that’s a different gesture. Okay, I guess my wording was ambigous, sorry. I meant that you don’t use the gesture of crossing fingers to wish good luck, instead you press your thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/7 "2006-08-23T14:16:09Z")
Ahhh, ok, makes sense 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/8 "2006-08-23T16:14:50Z")
[QUOTE=constanze] In German, there is no equivalent gesture to “crossing your fingers” to wish good luck; however, I’ve always heard that crossing your fingers behind your back when lying would serve as kind of lightning rod against God’s punishment (even when taking an oath), at least in catholic Bavaria. I don’t know how old this belief/custom is, though. [/QUOTE] Come on, I think God can see what you’re doing behind your back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-your-fingers-when-you-lie/369806/9 "2006-08-24T07:35:34Z")
Hey, whoever said religious superstition/beliefs needs to make sense? You might as well ask why the Chinese demons are stupid enough to run straight into a wall, and not go around the corner.