# Where did crossing your fingers come from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 16, 2000, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550 "2000-06-16T04:26:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Qeelocke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e99b99/32.png) [@Qeelocke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qeelocke)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550/1 "2000-06-16T04:26:55Z")

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If this has already been covered will someone please link me to it. If not does anyone know? Also I heard that if you cross your fingers on both hands (two pair) it crosses each other out. Hmm…

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550/2 "2000-06-16T12:03:28Z")

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In fact, this will be a Mailbag Answer, probably in a few weeks.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550/3 "2000-06-16T12:15:20Z")

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But Qeelocke wants an answer **now**! 😉

I’ll guess. Sign of the cross. Crossing fingers is saying a prayer.

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**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550/4 "2000-06-16T20:28:52Z")

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So you can frighten vampires away by crossing your fingers? That NEVER worked for me.

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-crossing-your-fingers-come-from/22550/5 "2000-06-16T21:08:59Z")

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Ukulele Ike, it helps if when crossing your fingers you also point to another potential victim with rosy cheeks and iron-rich blood coursing through their veins. (Someone like you, in fact, since with all those lamb cutlets you’ve been eating your blood is probably nice and juicy.)