Popular folklore down through the ages is full of warnings against wishing your friends good luck. "Eric Partridge explains that he favors the theory that "break a leg" originated as a translation of a similar German catchphrase "Hals- und bienbruch," with which German actors wish their colleagues "a broken neck and a broken leg." The German phrase seems to have begun life among aviators, possibly during World War I, and gradually spread to the German theatre and then to the British and American stages. I thought it was the result of the audience cheering and the actors coming back on stage with the women doing a curtsy consisting of a slight lowering of the body with bending or breaking of the knees.įrom the Word Detective with some more detail on ESC's post: He said "break a leg" is a wish that the audience will be so excited that they will stomp and break the leg/foot rest on back of the seats. : Another theory was suggested by a poster here on Phrase Finder. Actors have a superstition that saying "Good luck" straightforwardly would tempt the gods to subvert the wish by making something bad happen (paraphrased from Eric Partridge, Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day). actors (though it may have originated in England or Germany) to wish each other well just before they go on stage. : : : Hi can you please help me find the meaning ang origin to this phrase. In Reply to: Break a leg posted by ESC on February 06, 2004
Posted by Bruce Kahl on February 06, 2004
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