Break a leg

"Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in theatre to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor),[1] "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,[2] probably without specifically theatrical associations at first.

For other uses, see Break a leg (disambiguation).

The expression probably reflects a superstition (perhaps a theatrical superstition) in which directly wishing a person "good luck" would be considered bad luck, therefore an alternative way of wishing luck was developed.[3][4][5] The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use. Among professional dancers, the traditional saying is not "break a leg", but the French word "merde".[6]

Non-theatrical origins

Horse racing term

Urbane Irish nationalist Robert Wilson Lynd published an article, "A Defence of Superstition", in the 1 October 1921 edition of the New Statesman, a British liberal political and cultural magazine, regarding the theatre as the second-most superstitious institution in England, after horse racing. In horse racing, Lynd asserted, to wish a man luck is considered unlucky, so "You should say something insulting such as, 'May you break your leg!'"[7] Lynd did not attribute the phrase in any way to theatre people, though he was familiar with many of them and frequently mingled with actors backstage.

German and Yiddish term

Some etymologists believe it to be an adaptation from the similar German phrase Hals- und Beinbruch (neck- and leg-bone break), itself borrowed from Yiddish: הצלחה און ברכה‎, romanized: hatsloche un broche, lit. 'success and blessing', Hebrew: hatzlacha u-bracha, because of its similar pronunciation.[8][9] This usage in German is not specific to the theatre. The autobiography of Manfred von Richthofen records pilots of the German air force during the First World War as using the phrase "Hals- und Beinbruch" (neck and leg fracture) to wish each other luck before a flight.[10]

Theatrical origins

The earliest known theatrical example in a published work is from American writer Edna Ferber's 1939 A Peculiar Treasure, in which she writes about the fascination of the theatre, "...and all the understudies sitting in the back row politely wishing the various principals would break a leg".[11] In Bernard Sobel's 1948 The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays, he writes about theatrical superstitions: "...before a performance actors never wish each other good luck, but say 'I hope you break a leg.'"[12] There is anecdotal evidence from theatrical memoirs and personal letters as early as the 1920s.[2][13] Alternatively, to "break a leg" may refer to bowing or curtsying, in the sense of bending one's leg to do so.[10]

Leg line or curtain legs theory

The edge of a stage was traditionally, and still often is, marked with a line known as the "leg" or "leg line." This line marks the perimeter of the stage's performance area, separating it from the backstage area. Beyond this point, one enters the performance area and anyone not required on stage at a given time had to remain backstage, not crossing ("breaking") the "leg line," and in order to help hide the backstage area curtains known as "legs" have been hung along this perimeter in Proscenium theaters (the most popular style of theater staging in modern times) since the Renaissance.[14] (See Black Box, In the Round, Proscenium, Site-specific or Environmental, Thrust, and Traverse for more information regarding the various forms of theatrical staging.)

In a time when performers would queue for an opportunity to perform and were only paid if they did perform, to "break a leg" meant the performer crossed the "leg line" onto the stage and would therefore get paid. So to tell a performer to "break a leg" was to wish them the luck to have the opportunity to perform and get paid. The sentiment remains the same today, "good luck, give a good performance". Similarly, in the days of vaudeville, companies would book more performers than could possibly make it onstage, but would only pay those who performed.[15] Thus, to make it on stage, one had to enter the line of sight of the audience or "break a leg" of the curtains, to be paid.[15]

Richard III theory

Some attribute the saying to a performance of Shakespeare's Richard III, where the famed 18th-century British actor, David Garrick, became so entranced in the performance that he was supposedly unaware of a fracture in his leg.[16]

Debunked theories

One popular, but false, etymology derives the phrase from the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln.[17] The story goes that John Wilkes Booth, the actor turned assassin, claimed in his diary that he broke his leg leaping to the stage of Ford's Theatre after murdering the President. While Booth's roles as an actor are not well remembered, wishing an actor to "break a leg" is to wish them a performance worthy of remembrance. However, the fact that actors did not start wishing each other to "break a leg" until the 1920s (more than 50 years later) makes this an unlikely source.[13][18] Furthermore, the phrase has distinct origins in other languages that well predate the late 19th century. Also, some historians contend that he broke his leg when he fell from his horse trying to escape. They also cite that Booth often exaggerated and falsified his diary entries to make them more dramatic.[19]

Alternative meanings

There is an older meaning of "break a leg" going back to the 17th and 18th Century that refers to having "a bastard / natural child".[20] There are other non-literal references too, such as the meaning "To get a leg up, and catch your big / lucky break".[2][10]

Alternative terms

Professional dancers do not wish each other good luck by saying "break a leg"; instead they say "Merde!", the French word for "shit".[6] In turn, theater people have picked up this usage and may wish each other "merde", alone or in combination with "break a leg". In Spanish, the phrase is "mucha mierda", or "lots of shit". In Portuguese, it's "muita merda", with the same meaning. This term refers to the times when carriages would take the audience to the theatre. A quick look to the street in front of the venue would tell if the play was successful: a lot of horse dung would mean many carriages had stopped to leave spectators.[21]

Opera singers use "Toi toi toi", an idiom used to ward off a spell or hex, often accompanied by knocking on wood, and onomatopoeic, spitting (or imitating the sound of spitting). Saliva traditionally was supposed to have demon-banishing powers. From Rotwelsch tof, from Yiddish tov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German word for "Devil").[22] One explanation sees "toi toi toi" as the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times. Spitting three times over someone's head or shoulder is a gesture to ward off evil spirits. A similar-sounding expression for verbal spitting occurs in modern Hebrew as "Tfu, tfu" (here, only twice), which some say that Hebrew-speakers borrowed from Russian.[23]

An alternate operatic good luck charm, originating from Italy, is the phrase "in bocca al lupo!" ("In the mouth of the wolf") with the response "Crepi il lupo!" ("May the wolf die") (see Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Myth & Legend).

In Australia, the term "chookas" has been used also. According to one oral tradition, one of the company would check audience numbers. If there were not many in the seats, the performers would have bread to eat following the performance. If the theatre was full they could then have "chook" —Australian slang for chicken— for dinner.[24] Therefore, if it was a full house, the performer would call out "Chook it is!", which became abbreviated to "Chookas!" It is now used by performers prior to a show regardless of the number of patrons; and may be a wish for a successful turnout.

In Russian, a similar tradition existed for hunters, with one being told "Ni pukha ni pera" ("Neither fur nor feather") before the hunt, with the reply being "K chiortu" ("Go to hell"). Today, this exchange is customary for students before an exam.[25][26]

See also

References
  1. Urdang, Laurence; Hunsinger, Walter W.; LaRoche, Nancy (1985). Picturesque Expressions: A thematic dictionary (2 ed.). Gale Research. p. 321. ISBN 0-8103-1606-4.
  2. "Break a Leg". World Wide Words. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  3. Libby, Steve (July 1985). "It's a superstitious world: Of black cats, lucky numbers, broken mirrors..." The Rotarian. 147 (1): 30–31. ISSN 0035-838X.
  4. Peterson, Lenka; O'Connor, Dan (2006). Kids Take the Stage: Helping Young People Discover the Creative Outlet of Theater (2 ed.). Random House Digital. p. 203. ISBN 0-8230-7746-2.
  5. Helterbran, Valeri R. (2008). Exploring Idioms: A Critical-Thinking Resource for Grades 4–8. Maupin House Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 1-934338-14-1.
  6. McConnell, Joan; McConnell, Teena (1977). Ballet as body language. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-012964-6.
  7. A Defense of Superstition. The Living Age. 311. 1921. p. 427. As published in The New Statesman, 1 October 1921.
  8. Mark Israel, 'Phrase Origins: "Break a leg!"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file Archived 16 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine,(line 4544), (29 September 1997)
  9. Gerhard Langer (2015). Isabella Guanzini; Kurt Appel (eds.). Europa mit oder ohne Religion? (in German). II. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 88. ISBN 9783847005070.
  10. "Break a leg". phrases.org.uk. 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  11. Ferber, Edna (1939). A Peculiar Treasure. Doubleday, Doran & Co. p. 354.
  12. Sobel, Bernard (1948). The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays. Crown Publishers, p. 722.
  13. "Break a Leg origin". Theidioms.com. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  14. "Proscenium (theatre)". britannica.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  15. "Theatre Superstitions". Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  16. Tom Dale Keever (18 December 1995). "Richard III as rewritten by Colley Cibber". Primary Texts and Secondary Sources On-line. Richard III Society—American Branch. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  17. Wilton, Dave. "Break a leg". Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  18. "Re: Break a Leg". Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  19. Kauffman, Michael W. (2004). John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies. American Brutus. ISBN 0-375-75974-3.
  20. Martin, Gary. "Break a leg". Word Phrase Finder: Break a leg. The Phrase Finder. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  21. The QI Elves. "No Such Thing As The Ugly Panda". No Such Thing as a Fish (62). Quite Interesting Ltd. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  22. "Spit Your Way To Safety: Toi, toi, toi!". Forward Association, Inc. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  23. "Word of the Day / Jook ג׳וק A grisly load from Russian". Haaretz online, 18 August 2013.
  24. "Chookas!" Archived 8 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, By Colin Peasley, manager, Education Programme for The Australian Ballet
  25. ни пуха ни пера!
  26. Ни пуха ни пера

Macerena, Vintage.(2019).”The theories and origins of nonsense and tomfoolery in the modern age”. Journal of Cultural Reference. Pg 134-136.

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