When dining at restaurants, leaving your utensils in a certain way notifies the staff that you’re done eating. However, this etiquette rule is different in the U.S. than in Europe.

In America, you should place the fork and knife on top of the plate, with the handles of the utensils placed at 4 o'clock and the tines or blades oriented diagonally to 10 o'clock.

The fork should be placed below the knife, with the knife’s blade facing toward you. You can do the same in Europe, but the fork must be turned over so the tines are pointing down.

However, many people place their utensils in the form of an X when they’re done eating. That placement is not only wrong, but it’s also meaningless as a cue in the United States.