Although “neck and leg break” sounds more like a call for a wrestling arena, theatrically it means, “good luck”. 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.Īmong the many sayings for “good luck,” you can hear actors whisper “neck and leg break” to each other as the footlights dim and the curtain rises each opening night. The Italians have a comparable phrase, bocca al lupo, and the Germans have a particularly similar expression, Hals- und Beinbruch, which means ‘break your neck and leg’ or literally ‘neck and leg break’. The most likely explanation is that the phrase is simple superstition. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence of the phrase before the 19 th century and it’s difficult to see how Lincoln’s assassination would tie in with good luck. Allegedly, John Wilkes Booth, actor-come-assassin, jumped onto the Ford’s Theatre stage after murdering Lincoln and broke his leg. So to break a leg would be a good thing, meaning that you had had lots of popular and successful performances.Īnother false etymology comes from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. One suggests that the curtain pulls were once called legs which would eventually break after lots of wear and tear. There are a few false etymologies that seem quite unlikely. We all know that the correct thing to say is break a leg, but you would think that breaking a leg would actually be a pretty unlucky thing, so where does this phrase come from? Especially when you consider that we would happily say those words before important exams, driving tests or a job interview. It’s an odd superstition that before any sort of theatrical or arts performance we think it’s unlucky to utter a good luck. So for the cast and crew and everyone involved in Frozen, break a leg! Today’s phrase up for consideration is one from the back catalogue in honour of my friend, blogger and director, and the performance of her new show.
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