“Break a leg”in other languages

Same idea, different pictures

All four wish someone luck without saying “good luck”, because of an old superstition that saying it outright brings the opposite. Nobody knows for sure where the English one comes from; several stories exist and none is proven.

Russian ни пуха ни пера began among hunters: “neither fur nor feather” means coming home with no game at all. The answer is “К чёрту!”, “to the devil!”. Italian sends you into the wolf's mouth, and you reply “Crepi!”, “may it die!”.

In French theatres, people say “Merde !” before a show. Anywhere else it's a swear word, so keep it for the stage door. A popular story links it to the days of horse-drawn carriages, when a full house meant plenty of dung outside the theatre.