XOXOX always

Do you sign your letters and cards with xoxox? Do you know how “O” & “X” come to mean” hugs” and “kisses”, or more broadly, “love”?

As with many everyday stories that have been with us for a long time, there are lots of different ideas about how it all began. There’s even some confusion as to whether it is the X or the O that is the hug or the kiss!

Some people think that the X represents the crossed arms of a hug and the O represents a set of lips puckered up for a smooch. However more commonly, most people use X to represent a kiss and O for a hug.

The Oxford English Dictionary, states the first X as a kiss in literature occurred in 1901, but prior to that the X was used as a signature in times before most people could write. The X was a mark of one's word, and after signing, people would often kiss the X they had made as a seal of honesty… literally “signing with a kiss”.

Some people claim that the O represents two arms held in a circle around another person just as the X may represent two sets of lips coming together.

More recently, “Hugs and Kisses” have also found themselves off the page and used as a basis for jewellery design.

The wonderful thing about the origins of X and O is that no matter what they may have meant to millions of other people before you, when you sign your next message to someone you love with xoxox hugs and kisses, it will mean something very personal to you and your loved ones

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

This article has been written by Chief Giddy Aunt Nikki Johnston from www.ohmygiddyaunt.com.au Oh My Giddy Aunt! has been designing and creating personalised jewellery and keepsakes to tell family stories for over four years in Australia.

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