X's and O's

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X's and O's

Where it comes from

Derived from the use of the letters X and O as common stand-ins for other concepts.

noun

plural, plural only tic-tac-toe Against one wall they had three chickens in three different cages with electric X's and O's to play X's and O's with the chicken. You insert 25 cents and the chicken would peck at an X. It was impossible to beat the chicken, because there was an electrical shock that made the chicken hit the right b
idiomatic, plural, plural only The fundamental elements of a play.
idiomatic, plural, plural only The basic delineation of roles in a project.

noun

abbreviation, plural, plural only Abbreviation of kisses and hugs The college co-ed signed her letter to her mother with X's and O's.
Similar: xoxo

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MLA

"X's and O's." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/x's%20and%20o's. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

X's and O's. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/x's%20and%20o's

Chicago

"X's and O's." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/x's%20and%20o's.

BibTeX

@misc{x_s_and_o_s_2026,
  title = {X's and O's},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/x's%20and%20o's},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}