Re: Break a leg

Posted by R.Berg on February 06, 2004

In Reply to: Break a leg posted by sax on February 06, 2004

: Hi can you please help me find the meaning ang origin to this phrase .

It means "Good luck!"

Used by U.S. actors (though it may have originated in England or Germany) to wish each other well just before they go on stage. 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, "A Dictionary of Catch Phrases American and British").

• Re: Break a leg ESC 06/February/04
  • Re: Break a leg Bruce Kahl 06/February/04
    • Re: Break a leg US origin? Li Yar 09/February/04
      • Re: Break a leg US origin? -- psych approach Mahesh Viswanathan 21/February/04
        • Break a leg Rainer Schlipp 24/February/04
        • Re: Break a leg US origin? -- psych approach Rainer Schlipp 24/February/04