Working at cross purposes

Dear Diary,

It seems as if the weather and the landscape are at odds...working at cross purposes.  The trees and shrubs have swelling buds and the sun is trying desperately to warm the landscape but this morning the temperature is 8F.

I've always been interested in words and their origins.  The idiom "at cross purposes" intrigued me.  We say so many things without knowing where the words come from.  I made it my goal this morning to ferret out the origin of this one.

It was first used in the late 18th century but it appears it may have actually been the name of a 17th century parlor game.  Words were written on slips of paper and scattered about the room and their definitions likewise.  People would randomly pick up two slips and the mismatched definition would be the point of the game...to simply make people laugh.

I will be giggling with delight next week when the daytime temperatures reach 60F!  Just the thought of it makes me smile.