With 57-Across, gesture depicted by this puzzle's circled letters

FINGERS

Think of what you might hold up to signal a number or make a peace sign—this word is half of a common two-word phrase for that action.

This clue is part of a two-part answer split between 57-Across and this entry. The full phrase formed by both clues is "FINGERS CROSSED," a common gesture for hoping or wishing for luck, which the circled letters in the puzzle visually represent. Since this clue only covers the first word, the answer is "FINGERS," with the rest completed by 57-Across.