cross my heart and hope to die

1. Attest to the truth of something; solemnly assure someone that the truth has been spoken. For example, I did lock the door—cross my heart and hope to die! This phrase most likely originated as a religious oath based on the sign of the cross; it is generally accompanied by hand gestures such as crossing one's hands over one's breast and then pointing the right hand skyward (a variant is cross my heart and point to God). Today most often uttered by children, it was first recorded in 1908.

Example Sentences

Cross my heart and hope to die if I do.

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“Cross my heart and hope to die. Do you need me to pinkie-promise, too?”

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I’d cross my heart and hope to die before I’d tell on her to anybody.

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The album winds down with an anthem about being an American, whose sound evokes Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy,” with lyrics like “love me for who I am,” and “cross my heart and hope to die, I’m a big old piece of American pie.”

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The playground promise “cross my heart and hope to die”, started life as a religious oath, Christian in origin.

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