fold one's arms vs. cross one's arms

azz

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a. He folded his arms.
b. He folded his arms on his chest.
c. He crossed his arms.
d. He crossed his arms on his chest.

Do all of the above mean the same?

e. He had his arms folded.
f. He had his arms folded on his chest.
g. He had his arms crossed.
h. He had his arms crossed on his chest.

I think if one crosses one's arms one might either fold them, or have them in such as way so that the palms rest on the chest near the shoulders (the two forearms forming an X). In other words, it seems to me that 'crossing arms' can have two meanings.

Many thanks
 

Piscean

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There are several discussions on this online - here's one. There seems to be no general agreement.

My personal opinion is that there is no difference in meaning between folding and crossing your arms - it's a matter of individual preference.
 

jutfrank

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He folded his arms across his chest.
He had his arms folded across his chest.


The 'across his chest' part is possibly redundant, given that we all know what folding your arms looks like.
 
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