The phrase break a leg is a jovial encouragement, said to actors for good luck before they go on stage, especially on an opening night. The expression has been common among the thespian crowd since the early 1900s. The expression probably reflects a superstition in. Nandini, pune this is an expression used mostly in the world of theatre to mean good luck. My favorite having understudied a few times is that it came from the understudies telling the primaries to break a leg enough times that it came to be considered bad luck if they didnt say it. Break a leg in michael quinion, ballyhoo, buckaroo, and spuds. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that break a leg is an ancient english term meaning to bow, so when someone said break a leg they were hoping you would make it to the end of the. Explore idioms by topics, this huge list of topics contains a variety of famous idioms related to various topics. Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day. Definition of break a leg in the idioms dictionary. Break a leg is a typical english idiom used in theatre to wish a performer good luck. To cause to separate into pieces suddenly or violently. May 31, 2015 learn british accents and dialects cockney, rp, northern, and more. There was an earlier meaning of break a leg of that vintage 1670, which was to give birth to a bastard.
It is typically said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform. Similarly, in the days of vaudeville, companies would book more performers than could possibly make it onstage, but would only pay those who performed. It may also have something to do with wishing someone a big break, that is, good luck leading to success. Translation for break a l eg in the free englishfrench dictionary and many other french translations. Ive run into considerable debate over the origin of this one. Idioms are made of normal words that have a special meaning known to almost everyone. Translation for break a leg in the free englishfrench dictionary and many other french translations. The term break a leg appears to come from the belief. Break a leg definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Sorry, you do not have a permission to ask a question, you must login to ask question. Join dara as he shares common idioms that will help you speak english fluently. Oct 05, 2015 learn english for free with free spirit english.
The wish then became something negative break a leg so that the opposite would happen. Nearly a decade later author bernard sobel wrote in his book, the. Examples of break a leg in the modern day, people say break a leg to performers before they take the stage. I will break a leg, break an arm and a fibula when i break it down, when i, when i break it dooowhaaaahon. English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday english. Interestingly, the german language has a similar phrase. It is mainly used by actors speaking to other actors who are about to perform. Ingenious tales of words and their origins, washington, d. My first stage performance is scheduled for tonight. It goes along with such things as never saying the name of shakespeares danish play. As a result when you wish someone to break a leg it refers to wishing them success in their performance so in end they would have to kneel down and collect a welcoming tip. Break a leg, is, of course, what way actors wish each other instead of good luck before a performance.
Break a leg in hindi break a leg origin wellwishers typically say break a leg to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform. When the team went out for the final race, the coach shouted out to them break a leg. They were afraid that a wish of good luck as they went on stage would jinx them cause misfortune. The root of the idiom is that actors performers are a superstitious lot. Tonights your first time acting in front of an audience isnt it. C smithsonian books in association with penguin books, 2004, isbn.
The question was when is the idiom break a leg used. It might be that we get the phrase from this since there is an example of the same structure from 1954 in the news of fredrick, maryland. Also, break is a less common term for crossing in front of something. So the phrase break a leg referred to breaking the visual plane of the legs that lined the side of the stage. While the origins of the phrase are murky, there are a number of. The minimum distance in a circuitopening device between the stationary and movable contacts when these contacts are in the open.
I shouted out to him before he rushed in for his auditions. Break a leg definition and meaning collins english. A common wish of luck said before a performance of some kind. I wish you good luck on the completion of your book writing for publishing. An ironic or nonliteral saying of uncertain origin a dead metaphor, break a. This is used for a stage performeror for anyone else who is about to give some kind of a performance, such as an important speech.
The idiom break a leg is usually used in theater to wish good luck to actors before they go up on stage. This can be before a stage performance, but it may also be before a test, interview, or any other important. It is most common in the theatre, where actors say it to each other or family and friends say it to actors before taking the stage. The origins of break a leg, a phrase used to wish someone good luck, can actually be traced back to british theatres in the 1920s, although its not exactly certain how the phrase came about. Write a few of the more popular idioms break a leg, drive someone up the wall, dont judge a book by its cover, the pen is mightier than the sword. Since a successful actor would break a leg onstage and receive applause, the phrase would, in effect, be a wish for good luck. I was just pulling your leg when i said that the company is going to shut. Dec 19, 2011 what is the meaning and origin of break a leg. Change your default dictionary to american english. So as not to tempt fate before a performance, show people say, break a leg.
Wishing faux ill to someone is a way to bid them good luck without jinxing them. I think he was just pulling your leg when he said youve failed in the exam. A special theatrical way of wishing a performer good luck. Dannys family told him to break a leg right before he went up on stage. A dictionary of catch phrases see below suggests that there may be a. The term break a leg may be traced back to the elizabethan language. The most popular theory is that theater casts and crews are superstitious, believing that straightforwardly wishing someone good luck is tempting fate. There are several theories regarding the origin of this phrase.
Know your english meaning and origin of break a leg the. Break a leg phrase definition and synonyms macmillan. Mar 03, 2017 theatre people are a superstitious lot. A place in a file of records where one or more of the values in the records change. No one is sure, but one theory has the expression deriving, possibly through yiddish, from a german expression meaning may you break your neck and your leg, for which i can find no satisfactory explanation. What you tell someone about to perform in a drama or musical performance to wish them well. Break a leg article about break a leg by the free dictionary.
Explore idioms by topics the idioms largest idioms. By the book meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. An ironic or nonliteral saying of uncertain origin, break a leg is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform, likely first used in this context in the united states in the 1920s or 1930s, probably without specifically theatrical associations at first. Break a leg is a wellknown idiom in theatre which means good luck. Break a leg is used in informal english when we wish someone good luck, especially before a performance. Saying good luck is considered by actors to be a jinx.
So to break a leg is to cross in front of the curtain, which means youre walking onto the stage. This phrase has its origin in the world of theater. We usually say break a leg to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform, but it can be used as for other situations too. To wish a performer good luck might jinx him or her.
Did he mean it when he said hes leaving you or was he just pulling your leg. Feb 02, 2020 break a leg in michael quinion, ballyhoo, buckaroo, and spuds. From time immemorial and going through the elizabethan theatre, different theories have been posed on the origin of the meaning of the expression break a leg, which has become a tradition. Idiom break a leg download this royalty free vector in seconds. They would wish each other luck by saying break a leg, meaning, i hope you get paid. It is thought that wishing for something bad to happen will prevent it from happening. Im unsure, but this expression could mean youll wish me luck. Because idioms dont always make sense literally, youll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. Both english and german pilots use the term, but the literal translation is breaking all ones bones. As far as i know, the phrase break a leg originated as a phrase given before auditions. The expression break a leg has been common among actors since the early 1900s and presumably reflects a theatrical superstition in which wishing a person good luck is considered bad luck. Body idioms idiom meaning example sentence all ears fully listening give me a minute to finish my work and then ill be all ears to hear about your project. Theatrical types are well known for their belief in superstitions, or at least for their willingness to make a show of pretending to believe in them. Write a few of the more popular idioms break a leg, drive someone up the wall, dont judge a book by its cover, the pen is mightier than the sword, etc.
An ironic or nonliteral saying of uncertain origin a dead metaphor, break a leg is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform, likely first used in this context in the united states in the 1920s or 1930s, probably without specifically theatrical associations at first. There are some who argue that it originated when john wilkes booth broke his leg after assassinating president lincoln in fords theatre. It is tempting to believe the phrase to be ancient and to imagine it whispered to tudor minstrels as they went on stage at shakespeares globe theatre. And, according to eric partridges dictionary of catchphrases, its a translation from german. So the phrase break a leg referred to breaking the visual plane of the legs that. Definition and synonyms of break a leg from the online english dictionary from macmillan education. Actors would then take a knee, effectively breaking their leg line, on stage and pick up the money. To break a leg, in shakespeares time, meant, literally, to bow by bending at the knee. Top synonyms for break a leg other words for break a leg are best of luck, good luck and good fortune. Hope you break a leg and get onstage so that you get paid. Slang is usually special words or special meanings of normal words that are known only to a particular group of people. Take some examples of idioms to understand more what it is. Break a leg definition of break a leg by the free dictionary. They come up all the time in both written and spoken english.
As a big brother, he was always pulling his sisters leg, but he was there for her when needed. Break a leg is an entertainment idiom that is used to wish someone good luck, especially in a live theater production. It is thought to be used due to the superstition that wishing one good luck will result in the opposite, but the exact origin of the phrase is unknown. Break a leg break a leg is an entertainment idiom that is used to wish someone good luck, especially in a live theater production. Theatre evolved and the tradition of tipping changed. Theatrical types are well known for their belief in superstitions, or at least for their willingness to make a. Evidently, in the days of early vaudeville, the producers would book more.
This is the british english definition of break a leg. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare english idioms. Feb 28, 2017 it is mainly used by actors speaking to other actors who are about to perform. Breaka leg in gary martin, the phrase finder, 1997. Performers had a superstition that saying good luck would actually bring them bad luck, so break a leg was used instead. Break a leg meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. This is now entirely out of use and is not related to the theatrical version. This means that english idioms should not be taken literally, because their meaning is.
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