We Can Do Anything featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

When I was at Junior school in Gillingham, Kent if you wanted to call a truce on a game e.g. not be caught in a game of chase you would cross your fingers while at the same time call out what I thought was “fan lights” but which I now discover was “fainites.” Fainites was apparently first recorded in the original Notes & Queries in 1870: “Fains or Fain it – a term demanding a truce during the progress of any game, which is always granted by the opposing party.” The word itself derives from the 14th- century “feine” or “faine”, itself deriving from the Old French se feindre meaning “to make excuses, hang back, back out (esp. of battle)”. The “nites” part may have originated in “faine Sir Knight”, a medieval truce in non-mortal combat or jousting.
Anyway, when I moved to Portsmouth I was astonished to find that instead of “fainites” children shouted out “creamies” which may in fact have been “crees”. Crossing fingers is also sometimes considered as an excuse for telling a white lie or invalidating a promise being made. Of course it is also commonly used to wish for luck. Whatever its use I always thought that saying “fingers crossed” was simply a superstition, however I discover that it may have its origins in Christianity.
“Plansponsor” states “Crossing fingers dates to a pre-Christianity belief in Western Europe in the powerful symbolism of a cross. The intersection was thought to mark a concentration of good spirits and served to anchor a wish until it could come true. In those days, people would cross their index finger over that of someone expressing a wish to show support. This eventually evolved into one person crossing their fingers on their own.
In the early days of Christianity, when Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, to recognize fellow Christians, people developed a series of hand gestures, one of which involved forming the fish symbol by touching thumbs and crossing index fingers. Christians also would cross their fingers to invoke the power associated with Christ’s cross. In 16th-century England, people crossed fingers or made the sign of the cross to ward off evil.
What about the expression “Touch wood”? Ill look at that one next week.

Quote of the week