By: Sean Hutchinson
Whether
you end a letter or e-mail with it—or you recognize it from the end of each Gossip
Girlepisode—“Xoxo” is commonly known to refer to the phrase “Kisses
and hugs.” But how did these two inconspicuous letters come to represent that
well-known phrase?
One possible explanation is that an
“X” is a stylized representation of two mouths kissing, while the “O”
represents two pairs of arms coming together to complete a hug. This
emoticon-inspired account makes sense, but the true explanations are more likely
rooted in religious history.
