What does it Mean to ‘Keep one’s Finger’s Crossed’?

To keep your fingers crossed means to hope for the best; to hope for only good things to happen.

Some people believe that this phrase comes from the old Christian courts. Although the judges were granted the authority to pass the death penalty, they truly believed that only God had the power to take another man’s life.

As a result, some judges would cross their fingers and pronounce the verdict as a prayer due to concern for the criminal’s soul. In other words, they invoked the power of God by making a cross with their fingers.

Also, some people believe that in 16th-century England, when someone coughed or sneezed, people crossed their fingers to make the sign of the cross to repel evil spirits. So that may have also given rise to this phrase.

Let’s see an example —

“I hope the operation is successful. I am keeping my fingers crossed.”

That’s self-explanatory, guys.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy, or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.