In the Washington Post yesterday, a piece “A whole lot of history behind ‘x’ and ‘o,’ kiss and hug” by Nadine Epstein, which asks the question:
Where do those symbols come from, these ur-emoticons that we sprinkle so liberally across our correspondence?
Lots of sources cited, some more authoritative than others. Included are ADS-Lers Stephen Goranson and Ben Zimmer, plus Deborah Tannen.
