🤞 Fingers Crossed Emoji: Wishing For Luck Goes A Long Way
Like most hand sign icons, the 🤞 Fingers Crossed emoji offers five colors for all users across platforms. We usually send or receive it to wish luck upon something. Unbeknownst to many, the intertwined fingers represent more than just wishing luck.
You can easily copy the icon with both of your hands. Simply extent the index and middle fingers while the thumb holds the remaining fingers down. Then, put the middle finger above the index to cross your fingers. You also have the option of hooking the middle finger to the index to completely intertwine them.
Aside from luck, people cross their fingers for wishes. You might see some people intertwining their fingers before or after throwing a coin at a wishing fountain. Some do it as soon as they finish with an important job interview and the like. However, there are instances where crossing one’s fingers imply something offensive or mischievous. Because of this, we suggest you take caution in doing this gesture when traveling. You can learn more about the gesture’s background in our discussion below.
Fingers Crossed Emoji: Meaning, Background, and Relation to Luck
The 🤞 Crossed Fingers emoji depicts the famous hand gesture of wishing for luck. The emoji’s design comes from the famous hand gesture associated with the phrase, “cross your fingers.” People automatically think of wishes or hopes when they encounter the famous saying. Because of this, those determined to get that luck or wish tend to bite their lips while doing the hand gesture. The lip bite makes them anxious over the wish’s possibility of coming true in the future.
With a quick Google search, you can understand why we instantly think of crossing our fingers for luck or wishes. Unknown to many, English Christians popularized the hand gesture. In the 16th century, people crossed their fingers to ward off bad spirits. In turn, they eventually associated the gesture with warding off bad luck to make a wish come true. Additionally, people intertwined their fingers after hearing someone cough or sneeze. The response was believed to keep the one who crossed their fingers safe from the one who sneezed or coughed.
The 🤞 Crossed Fingers Emoji debuted in Unicode 9.0 emoji list in 2016. It coincided with the Emoji Version 3.0 which features the 5 different skin tones we see and use today. Aside from the classic yellow color. the recent fingers crossed emoji offers the following variation across platforms: 🤞🏻 Light Skin Tone Crossed Fingers, 🤞🏼 Medium-Light Skin Tone Crossed Fingers, 🤞🏽 Medium Skin Tone Crossed Fingers, 🤞🏾 Medium-Dark Skin Tone Crossed Fingers, and 🤞🏿 Dark Skin Tone Crossed Fingers emojis.
Fingers Crossed Emoji Across Other Platforms
Developers stayed true to classic icons and designed hand sign emojis with the color yellow. To offer more diverse options, they also released an additional 5 variations representing types of skin tones. With this, all platforms followed suit and made their respective versions for all their users. Each finger-crossed emoji maintains its details throughout all 6 variations. Most platforms used a right hand while only one used the left.
Like most of its emojis, Apple’s crossed fingers version appears with 3D details. Its thumb holds down the ring finger while the pinky finger folds on its own. Its features are similar to Google’s rendition with a few differences in shading. Elsewhere, JoyPixel’s version looks similar to Google’s.
Other platforms with the right-hand design are Facebook and Samsung. Facebook’s fingers crossed icon shows a seemingly boneless forefinger intertwined with the middle finger. Meanwhile, Samsung designed their version with a slight right-side tilt and finger detailing.
Only the Windows version is using the left hand to depict the fingers crossed emoji. Windows’ overall rendition seems a bit confusing to most users. Aside from its bold outline, the thumb appears to be a small-sized forefinger. Its middle finger also appears a shade darker than the skin tone it depicts.
Using the Good Luck Hand Emoji
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We commonly use the fingers crossed emoji to send someone luck. Amidst vast distances, sending a small piece of luck to your loved one means a lot. We usually send this animated icon to wish luck for job interviews, proposals, trips, etc. However, the famous hand emoji represents luck in more ways than one.
People who like adding luck to their messages using the Crossed Fingers Emoji and the 🍀 Four Leaf Clover emoji. These two icons work well when composing positive or lucky emoji sets. Sending one or both of the emojis can surely uplift the receivers who need it. Here are some ideas of lucky emoji sets for your friends or loved ones:
➡️🍀🤞📨 – I’m sending you some luck.
❤️🤞 – Wishing some love for you.
🤞💍💞💒 – Good luck with your marriage proposal!
🤞👔🏢 – Good luck with your job interview!
🍀🤞🎓🎉 – Wishing you some luck on your graduation!
🤞🐇🦶 – Lucky Rabbit’s Foot
🤞🐎👟 – Lucky Horseshoe
Send and Receive Luck by Intertwining Your Fingers
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According to early English Christians, the hand gesture of crossing your fingers helps you gain God’s favor. It doesn’t have to be crossing both forefingers to create a makeshift cross. Not everyone has two hands or complete fingers. Just cross two fingers with one hand and you’re good to go. This tradition also gives you some good luck. You can grant it upon yourself or give it to someone who needs it more.
By now, you probably noticed the good outcomes associated with crossing your fingers. However, you can’t always get the best of luck all the time. Thanks to the hand gesture, you might get your wish or land that job. Nevertheless, that wish or job might not meet your expectations in the future. The luck you wish for does not last. Because of this, you must not take it for granted.
Superstition and Belief Behind Intertwined Fingers
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Aside from granting luck or wishes, people cross their fingers to ward off any bad luck. Early Christians and Europeans crossed their fingers when walking under a ladder. As one of the earliest superstitions, ladders were associated with the Holy Trinity. They form a triangle when mounted on the ground. Because of this, people considered the formed shape as sacred despite the absence of any blessing. If they need to walk under it, people crossed their fingers to avoid any punishment from the Holy Trinity.
Sending a good luck emoji to a person encountering a mounted ladder might not be the best idea. With the history tied to this superstition, it’s best to ward off the bad luck on their own. Nowadays, superstitious people remain cautious when they walk under ladders. Despite not being Christians themselves, these people cross their fingers while walking under ladders. When it comes to warding off bad luck, it’s best to be safe than sorry.
Other Countries Don’t Cross Fingers for Good Luck
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As mentioned, our habit of crossing our fingers for luck dates back to 16th century England. Because of this, the USA and most European countries practice the well-known hand gesture for wishes and luck. However, you must be wary of doing the gesture when traveling to other countries.
Most citizens of European countries cross their fingers for wishes and luck out of habit. However, that’s not the case for Slavic countries like Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and other former Yugoslav republics. In these places, crossing your fingers means you’re lying. The complete gesture is done by putting one or two hands behind your back. Then, you cross your fingers after stating what you don’t plan on doing. Lying with your fingers crossed can also be applied in German-speaking countries like Sweden. To avoid any conflicts in these countries, we suggest you hold your thumbs while forming a fist. This hand gesture signifies wishing luck in those said nations.
In Vietnam, crossing your fingers earns frowns of disgust. In their culture, the hand gesture symbolizes a woman’s private parts. Meanwhile, South Africans and Afrikaans speakers prefer holding thumbs to wish someone luck. This follows the phrase “duim vashou” which means “holding thumbs tightly” in Afrikaans.
Fingers Intertwined or Finger Heart?
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Following the rise of South Korean pop culture, people are looking forward to the emoji rendition of the finger heart. K-Pop groups of Korean actors commonly use the gesture during red carpet events. It eventually became one of the most used hand gestures for hearts. Along with the ✌️ Victory Hand emoji, people automatically do the gesture while taking pictures. Cupping your hands to form hearts with your fingers became a thing of the past.
Despite its popularity, the proposed finger heart emoji has yet to make its way to our keyboards. As a substitute, people use the fingers crossed emoji with the ❤️ Red Heart emoji. The popular gesture can be a makeshift finger heart due to its intertwined fingers design. Forming a finger heart involves touching your thumb and forefinger. You also have to tilt it a certain way to form a heart while your other fingers remain closed. Plus, some people believe that its appearance looks like a heart when the middle finger hooks with the forefinger.
Wishing Luck to Your Friends and Loved Ones
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After learning about its background, you must remain careful about using the fingers crossed emoji. It can uplift your friends and loved ones who need the lucky emoji. However, not all cultures believe it signifies good luck. Despite this, crossing your fingers adds a bit of confidence to what may come.
No one knows why we usually bite our lips while crossing fingers. Some experts believe we do it due to the intensity of wanting the wish to come true. Because of anxiousness, we also bite our lips hoping for luck and safety. This especially applies when traveling to places we never traveled to before. Sending one or two crossed fingers icons to your traveling ones can reassure them. It gives them relief as much as it does to us. We suggest you send a few fingers crossed emojis to those who need them. This may grant them a small boost of confidence and relief to their day.