You’ve seen it on the last line of informal letters/messages from your relatives, friends, partners and friends you wish to turn into partners.

Missing you loads,
Jennifer
XOXOXO

The only time I regularly came in contact with the term “XO” was during my University years. No, this contact didn’t occur in the literal sense, as administered by rambunctious college girls, but in the textual form. And no, this term didn’t feature in many a signature/sign-off in letters brimming with adulation from many a rambunctious college girl either. I studied genetics at University, remember? XO was the term used to refer to disorders arising from chromosomal monosomy. Sighs of relief all around.

I’m at work right now and having been given a laborious task of nothing to do, I succumbed to blog-hopping to catch up on the news from the over-ripened grapevine. I noticed some people’s signatures and sign-offs in some of their entries ended with derivatives of “XXXX” or “XOXO” and it reminded me of a conversation I had with Chris, in reference to a text message he received where the sender signed off with “XOXO.” Prior to this conversation I had never though much of it; I figured it was interchangeable with its all-X counterpart. I later did a search on it and found that it meant “kiss and a hug.” But this is the less-coy 2000s we’re living in now (AKA “the noughties,” AKA “the naughties”) so I had my suspicions that it had evolved to become less innocent.

Tun: She signed it off with “XOXO.” I know “X” is meant to mean a kiss, but what does “O” mean?
Chris: I dunno. Open-mouthed kiss?

Just food for thought. =)