Show an X for a U
The phrase showing someone an X for a U means that you are deceiving or cheating on someone.
This idiom has its origins in Roman numerals , where letters stand for numbers. So the letter V , which stands for the number 5 , can be rewritten to the letter X by extending the lines downwards . This in turn stands for the number 10 , so that a (supposed) doubling of the number occurs. The current letter U comes from the V of the Latin alphabet , which explains the current form of the idiom.
The phrase is used on such manipulations with fraudulent intent and. a. returned to moneylenders and innkeepers.
See also
- X for U - pictures that lie , German traveling exhibition