英语词汇criss-cross的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

criss-cross. Criss-cross sounds like a mere reduplication of sounds similar to zigzag, or ding-dong, but when we call a se- ries of crossing lines criss-cross we are really saying Christ- cross, “the cross of Christ.” In the old 16th-century hornbook primer—originally one vellum sheet slotted into a wainscot board frame and protected by a thin transparent front covering of horn—only the alphabet, a few numbers, a little spelling, and the Lord’s Prayer were taught. Most teachers at the time were trained for the ministry and so there was a close connection between education and religion. Thus the alphabet printed on the sheet’s top line was preceded by a small cross that was re- ferred to as the Christ-cross, or Christ’s cross. Soon the alpha- bet row came to be called Christ-cross row, this eventually be- coming criss-cross row due to the duplicative tendency of tongues, or perhaps because the word was pronounced slurred, like “Christmas” or “Christian.” Eventually criss-cross alone was applied to any pattern of crossing lines similar to the cross at the beginning of criss-cross row.

词汇	criss-cross
词源	criss-cross. Criss-cross sounds like a mere reduplication of sounds similar to zigzag, or ding-dong, but when we call a se- ries of crossing lines criss-cross we are really saying Christ- cross, “the cross of Christ.” In the old 16th-century hornbook primer—originally one vellum sheet slotted into a wainscot board frame and protected by a thin transparent front covering of horn—only the alphabet, a few numbers, a little spelling, and the Lord’s Prayer were taught. Most teachers at the time were trained for the ministry and so there was a close connection between education and religion. Thus the alphabet printed on the sheet’s top line was preceded by a small cross that was re- ferred to as the Christ-cross, or Christ’s cross. Soon the alpha- bet row came to be called Christ-cross row, this eventually be- coming criss-cross row due to the duplicative tendency of tongues, or perhaps because the word was pronounced slurred, like “Christmas” or “Christian.” Eventually criss-cross alone was applied to any pattern of crossing lines similar to the cross at the beginning of criss-cross row.
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