What's the origin of the phrase 'break a leg' for wishing someone good luck in a performance?
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The phrase began from the theatre community, which is known to be a bit superstitious. Performers believed saying “good luck” would actually bring bad luck on stage, so they'd tell one another to “break a leg” instead. That way, the opposite would happen.
The phrase "break a leg" is a common way of wishing someone good luck in a performance, especially in theatre or music. However, the origin of this phrase is not very clear, and there are different theories and explanations for how it came to be. Here are some of the most popular ones: • One theory is that the phrase is a translation from the German expression "Hals- und Beinbruch", which literally means "neck and leg break". This expression was used by German pilots during World War I and II to wish each other luck before flying. It is also a pun on the Yiddish phrase "hatsloche un broche", which means "success and blessing". The Yiddish phrase sounds similar to the German expression, but has a positive meaning. Some people believe that the phrase was brought to America by German-speaking Jewish immigrants who worked in the entertainment industry in the 1920s and 1930s.
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" Break a leg" is a commonly used idiom that means "good luck".
If actors were not performing, they had to stay behind the "leg line," which also meant they wouldn't get paid. If you were to tell the actor to "break a leg," you were wishing them the opportunity to perform and get paid.
The term originates from the American theatre scene in the early 20th century.
I think it could be superstition
It originates from the good old days of theatre performances, saying good luck would always end in bad luck, so to speak, so instead they say break a leg. David Garrick was so entranced in a performance that he was literally unaware that he fractured a bone, this is only one reason , there quite a few more.
Some sources suggest that this phrase is connected with theater however solid evidence for this claim can be difficult to find because there are several theories behind this phrase.
It is an English idiom to wish some one good luck mostly on set when performing .
