11/20/2023 0 Comments Origin of break a legIt was used by both English and German pilots in WWII as a way to wish pilots a good flight. It was later adapted in German as “Hans un beinbruch” or “Hals- und Beinbruch“, which translates as “breaking your neck and legs”. The use of the phrase has also been attributed to an old Yiddish phrase (הצלחה און ברכה) (“success and blessing“). Nearly a decade later, author Bernard Sobel wrote in his book, The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Play, that performance actors never wished each other good luck, and instead said, “I hope you break a leg“. ![]() She recounts tales of understudies sitting backstage hoping for principals to break their legs. In 1939, the phrase again turned up in an autobiography by Edna Ferber, titled “A Peculiar Treasure”. He also mentioned that though Theatre was not as superstitious as horse racing, it was close. You would say, rather, “I hope your horse will break a leg.” This served as a kind of reverse psychological thought to appease the spirits of fate, which favoured the humble. He outlined that in horse racing, one would never wish someone good luck as it might push one’s luck too far. An urbane literary essayist, he wrote an article, “A Defence of Superstition,” about the prevalence of superstition in the theatre and horse racing. The first mention of “Break a leg” was recorded in print by Robert Wilson Lynd in 1921. ![]() While the origins of the phrase are murky, there are several theories on how this curious practice got started. Have you ever wondered why people say “Break a leg” to performers before a performance? The origins of the expression “break a leg”.
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