I always thought they were called "zebra crossings" because of the zigzag lines on the road. (like a zebra's stripes?)

As far as 小心 is concerned, my Chinese friends tell me to think of it like the English phrase "take heart". In reality, that doesn't make much sense either.

ceigered:I don't understand the hullabaloo here. Xing is clearly "crossing", I didn't even need mum to explain that to me as a child

Actually, it makes some sense from an American point of view. Our railroad crossing signs have always featured a giant 'X' to symbolize two, seperate paths crossing each other. I think this 'X' symbol just got transferred to other things like roads and sidewalks.

andogigi:Actually, it makes some sense from an American point of view. Our railroad crossing signs have always featured a giant 'X' to symbolize two, seperate paths crossing each other. I think this 'X' symbol just got transferred to other things like roads and sidewalks.

Well this is getting off-track as usual

The X thing comes from the "X" from the Greek "Xristos" (Hristos, sorry don't have Greek fonts) meaning Christ which is why we had Xmas as a form of "Christmas" in the middle ages (and still today). Cross (from Latin Crux) is both figurative (X looks like a cross) and again from the Xristos analogy to the Crucification (which means "put on a cross" anyway).

Therefore I suppose anything with Cross in it can be shortened to X ...... X-ing....Xing. There's a town in North London called Waltham Cross and it's often shortened on maps to WalthamX. I believe King's Cross in London is also KingsX in shorthand too.