X and O, which one means hugs and which one means kisses?

Question

Wow, it's about 50/50

Answer 1

"X" is kiss and "O" is hug.

Answer 2

X=kiss
O=hug

The first mention in literature of XXX for kisses at the bottom of a letter was in 1901, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The X itself is very old.

The custom goes back to the early Christian era, when a cross mark or "X" was the same as a sworn oath. The cross referred to the cross of Calvary and the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos.

Even as little as a hundred and fifty years ago, not many people could read or write. The "X" at the bottom of a document took the place of a signature. They would kiss the "X" as a crucifix or bible was kissed to emphasize the importance of the mark. It was this practice that lead to the "X" representing a kiss.

There isn't much known about the beginnings of the "O". It is a North American custom. The "O" represents the arms in a circle around another person. Arms crossed in front of you do not mean the "X" as a hug! The "O" is the hug.

In "The Joys of Yiddish" by Leo Rosten, it is noted that illiterate immigrants (or those who did not know Roman-English letters) would generally sign entry forms with an "X" but Jews preferred an "O" to avoid making something that looked like a cross. Also, shopkeepers and salesmen would similarly sign receipts with a circle. Could this be the origin of the "O"?

Or could it have developed from the game of tic tac toe, where one player uses the "X" and another the "O", leading people to think that the "O" was the hug, as the "X" is the kiss.

Answer 3

According to wikipedia, X=kiss and 0=hug (which comes from the English dictionary.

Text below:
Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email.

It is debatable which letter represents which act. The most common interpretation assumes that X represents the four lips of a kiss and O the four arms of a hug. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary states that X is "used to represent a kiss, esp. in the subscription to a letter." [1]. A less common interpretation assumes X as the crossed arms of a hug and O as the puckered lips of a kiss. Additionally, there is a more simple interpretation, based on the pronunciation of the letters X (sounds like 'kiss') and O (sounds like 'hold', as in 'I hold you').

Some celebrities sign an autograph and add "xoxo" to their signature in order to express love to a fan.

The use of XOXO goes back to the use of an X or cross, which was considered as good as a sworn oath in times before most people could write and therefore used the X in the same way a signature is used today — a mark of one's word. An X at the end of a letter or document was often kissed as a seal of honesty, in much the same way one would kiss a Bible or kiss the fingers after making the sign of the Christian cross. Thus the X came to represent a kiss in modern times.[citation needed]

The "X" was also the ancient Paleo Hebrew letter Tav, and was a symbol of the Seal of Hashem (God) and it represented truth, completeness, and perfection.

The origins of the O as a hug are not generally known, although it is speculated that it may represent the arms wrapped around someone being hugged.

Answer 4

Hugs and Kisses is a term for a chain of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, regularly used to specific affection on the top of a written letter or digital mail. it somewhat is debatable which letter represents which act. some interpret X by using fact the crossed palms of a hug and O by using fact the puckered lips of a kiss. regardless of if, the translation assumed interior here, wherein X represents the 4 lips of a kiss and O the 4 palms of a hug, is extra elementary. using XOXO is going lower back to using an X or go, which replaced into seen as sturdy as a sworn oath in situations till now maximum individuals ought to write and subsequently used the X interior the comparable way a signature is used right this moment — a mark of one's be conscious. An X on the top of a letter or checklist replaced into regularly kissed as a seal of honesty, in plenty the comparable way you possibly can kiss a Bible or kiss the hands after making the sign of the Christian go, for this reason the X got here to symbolize a kiss in present day situations. The origins of the O as a hug are no longer regularly conventional, regardless of if it somewhat is speculated that it ought to symbolize the palms wrapped around somebody being hugged. yet another concept is that it got here from Jewish immigrants who could sign with an O as a substitute of an X by using fact they did no longer desire to mark their be conscious with the Christian go the X represented.

Answer 5

The most common interpretation assumes that X represents the four lips of a kiss and O the four arms of a hug. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary states that X is "used to represent a kiss, esp. in the subscription to a letter." [1]. A less common interpretation assumes X as the crossed arms of a hug and O as the puckered lips of a kiss. Additionally, there is a more simple interpretation, based on the pronunciation of the letters X (sounds like 'kiss') and O (sounds like 'hold', as in 'I hold you').

Some celebrities sign an autograph and add "xoxo" to their signature in order to express love to a fan.

Answer 6

Italian girl, Just like the alphabet O before X,hugs before kisses !

Answer 7

X means hugs and O means kisses.

Answer 8

X kiss O hug

Answer 9

i think x= hugs because it kinda looks like 2 people hugging and the o=kisses because of the shape of ones lips.

Answer 10

X is kiss....>< looks like two lips kissing

O is hug....() looks like two people from the top, with their arms stretched out about to hug

Answer 11

X is kiss, like x marks the spot where you are going to kiss

O is hug, like you're stretching your arms out in a circle to hug someone