"X" = Kiss

I guess everyone knows that an "X" indicates a kiss. In America, at least, it has been our custom of putting X's at the conclusion of letters and notes to symbolize kisses. I also guess that not everyone knows where the "x" originated. This practice grew out of medieval legal practices. In order to indicate good faith and honesty in those bygone days, the sign of St. Andrew -- the cross -- was placed after the signature on all important documents. Thereafter, contracts and agreements were not considered binding until each signer added St. Andrew's cross after his name. Then he was required to kiss the document to further guarantee faithful performance of his obligations. The cross was drawn hurriedly, and often it was tilted and looked much like the letter "X". Over the centuries, the origin of the ceremony was forgotten. Yet, people still associated the "X" with the kiss instead of the pledge of good faith, and the custom has continued into modern times. (Thanks for the help from Reminisce, Collector's Edition, for most of the above information. Since I believe that all good-hearted people use the "X" in their personal-to-personal communiques, I thought you'd also like to know about this.) Thanks for visiting. -- Bob