X marks the spot

Meaning of the phrase:

Origin of the phrase:

Ahoy there, mateys! Gather round and listen closely, for I have a tale to tell ye about the origin and meaning of the infamous phrase “X marks the spot.”

Now, ye may be thinking this story is a simple one – pirates, treasure, and maps – but avast! There’s more to the story than that.

The legend of lost pirate treasure is said to have originated in early 19th-century American literature, with tales like Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Published in 1882, the novel tells the tale of buccaneers burying gold:

‘I’ll tell you what I’ve heard myself,’ continued Captain Smollett: ‘that you have a map of an island, that there’s crosses on the map to show where treasure is, and that the island lies—’ And then he named the latitude and longitude exactly.

But, alas, there is no evidence that pirates ever did such a thing. So where did the idea of marking a spot with an “X” come from? There are a few theories.

Some suggest that it originated from the British practice of placing a black “X” on paper and hanging it above a prisoner’s heart. Others believe it came from scientific papers where an “X” on a map was used to denote an important location. And some even suggest that it originated from police using the symbol at crime scenes to highlight crucial evidence.

But the truth is, the concept of marking a spot with an “X” has been around for centuries. It’s a simple and intuitive symbol that anyone can recognize, and it doesn’t require any special cultural knowledge or literacy. Using an “X” to mark a location is simply a practical and straightforward way to denote a point of interest.

The earliest known example of the “X” symbol in print comes from a letter written by a woman named Maria Edgeworth in 1813. She used it to mark three locations, writing:

The three crosses X mark the three places where we were let in.

No swashbuckling pirate tales here, no maps with “X”s leading to treasure, no “yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum”, just a simple bunch of boring old “X”s marking places of interest.

So there you have it. While the legend of pirates burying their treasure with a map and an “X” may not be true, the concept of marking a spot with an “X” has stood the test of time. But who knows, perhaps one day you’ll come across an “X” that truly marks the spot of hidden treasure. And if ye do, don’t forget to bring along yer parrot and yer eye patch, for ye’ll never find the treasure without them!