IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishbreak a leg
Meaning: Good luck, said to a performer before going on stage.
Example: “Break a leg tonight; you'll be wonderful.”
Origin: Theater people consider wishing "good luck" to be bad luck, so they wish the opposite. The phrase is recorded in the early 20th century; theories linking it to bowing or to the actor John Wilkes Booth are unproven.
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: In bocca al lupo Literally: Into the mouth of the wolf
Russian: Ни пуха ни пера (Ni pukha ni pera) Literally: Neither fluff nor feather
French: Merde ! Literally: Shit!
More English idioms
- hey presto Said when something happens suddenly, as if by magic.
- search me I don't know.
- set the cat among the pigeons To say or do something that causes trouble or uproar.
- storm clouds are gathering Trouble is coming.
- be rolling in it To be very rich.
- be worth one's weight in gold To be extremely valuable or useful.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- C'est une vraie chèvre They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.
- Casse-pieds A massive bore or pain in the neck — someone who wears you down with their irritating way…
- Espèce de patate You dim bulb — a potato being the very picture of inert, unthinking stodginess.
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