Thursday, September 08, 2011

XOXO!

I got a pleasant surprise the other day while browsing Amazon.com. I discovered that the paperback edition of THE ABC'S OF KISSING BOYS is on sale for $3.42, which is less than half price!

Hurry if you are interested because I am not sure how long this sale will last!


Now, whenever I autograph a copy of this book, I almost always sign it "XOXO," being all alphabet-related and of course, X meaning kiss and O meaning hug. But I've often wondered WHY it means what it does, and the story behind it.

And then the other day, voila! Someone gave me this answer:

In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

While I cannot, of course, attest to its validity, it was presented as authority, and sure works for me.

So how about you...going with this X-planation? Or do you know another story? And how about the O? Have any ideas how that came to be?

5 fresh comments:

sunnynikki said...

and I'll leave that up to wikianswers...http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_X_stand_for_kiss_and_O_stand_for_hugs

TinaFerraro said...

Thank you, sunnynikki!

Everyone, here is what it said about X's:

"X stands for kisses because it is supposedly the shape of a persons lips when they kiss. Also, in early times people who did not know how to write signed their name with an X and kissed it to show their sincerity."

So my info was valid! And to learn more, here's what it said about O's:

"An O stands for hugs because the shape of arms around a person is roughly the shape of an O, and also because Jewish immigrants who did not wish to discriminate against God by using the turned shape of cross signed with an O instead of an X."

Wonderful information, thanks again!

Ryann Kerekes said...

I read The ABC's of Kissing Boys this summer and it's a really cute, fun read.

TinaFerraro said...

Aw, thank you, Ryann! I am glad you enjoyed it and let me know!

Claudia said...

I always thought the x was a hug because it looks like arms and the o looks like an open mouth