English · Idiom Historical

to fcefcp one's fingers crossed

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

To hope for success, to try to ensure against disaster. From the superstition that making the sign of the cross will avert bad luck.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Hands Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to fcefcp one's fingers crossed” mean?

To hope for success, to try to ensure against disaster. From the superstition that making the sign of the cross will avert bad luck.

Is “to fcefcp one's fingers crossed” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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