Break a leg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"
Break a leg" is a well-known
idiom in
theatre which means "
good luck." It is typically said to
actors and
musicians before they go out onto stage to perform.
The expression reflects a
theatrical superstition in which wishing a person "good luck" is considered bad luck. The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use.
Origins
There are several theories behind the etymology. All are heavily debated. The theories listed below are some of the more popular explanations.
The earliest known example in print refers to the title of a play from 1957. Naturally, the saying is much older for it to have been borrowed for a title and there is anecdotal evidence from theatrical memoirs and personal letters as early as the 1920s.
[1][2]
Bowing
This theory is thought to be an extension of the Traditional Theory. For the curtain call, when actors bow or curtsy, they place one foot behind the other and bend at the knee, "breaking" the line of the leg. In theatre, pleased audiences may applaud in which time encore bows sometimes occur. On
Broadway this is considered the highest compliment to an actor.
[3]
Shakespearean theory
In
Britain, the most common idea about the origin of the expression comes from tradition. Historians know from the time of King
James I and
Shakespeare's
King's Men that actors would, on occasion, receive tips on top of their salaries. Rather than receiving tips directly from the company or theatre, tipping was left to the audience. During the final bows or curtain call, audiences would throw money, usually coins, onto the stage depending on how well they enjoyed the performance.
[3] In some bad performances they would throw rotten vegetables, but in the good cases, money. Actors would then "take a knee," effectively breaking their leg line, on stage and pick up the money. As a result, when a person wishes someone to "break a leg" it refers to wishing them success in their performance so in the end they would have to kneel down and collect a welcome tip. Theatre evolved and the tradition of tipping changed to one of throwing flowers on stage, as well as presenting flowers.
Antonym theory
Breaking one's
leg is not a good thing to hope for, therefore—by some superstition—if "good luck" causes bad luck, then the perceived bad luck of breaking one's leg causes good.
Greek origin
In the time of
Ancient Greece, people didn't applaud. Instead, they stomped for their appreciation and if they stomped long enough, they would break a leg. Or, some would have it that the term originated during Elizabethan times when, instead of applause the audience would bang their chairs on the ground—and if they liked it enough, the leg of the chair would break.
[4]
Roman origin
In the time of
Ancient Rome,
gladiators would fight to the death as a form of popular entertainment in the
colosseum.
[5] Spectators would sometimes shout "quasso cruris," the Latin equivalent of "break a leg." This essentially would be wishing them "good luck" by requesting they keep their lives and only cripple the other opponent by breaking his leg.
Yiddish origin
Some etymologists believe it to be an adaptation from the
Yiddish translation into
German. The phrase "Hatsloche un Broche" (הצלחה און ברכה) ("success and blessing") had been calqued from the German phrase "Hals- und Beinbruch" ("neck and leg fracture"), because of near similar pronunciation.
[6]
German origin
The phrase has been adopted from German into
Polish language as "połamania nóg," "breaking of legs," with the word "połamanie," meaning fracturing, "połamania" being the genitive case. In Polish, "życzyć" "to wish," governs the genitive case, thus the underlying structure is "życzę ci połamania nóg," roughly translated as "I wish you a fracture of the legs." Both in German and Polish, the phrase is most typically used to wish an actor good luck before a performance, or a student good luck before an exam.
Pilots of the German Air Force in the First World War are recorded in the autobiography of Manfred von Richthofen as using the phrase "Hals- und Beinbruch" (breaking of the neck and leg) to wish each other luck before a flight, so the phrase dates from at least that time.
Turkish origin
The
Turkish version of the phrase, "
Şeytan'ın Bacağını Kır(mak)," literally translated as "(to) Break the
Devil's Leg," is typically applied to situations where someone achieves something they had been failing at previously, i.e. "He has finally broken the Devil's leg." This ties in to the theory of avoiding bad luck by crippling the source of misfortune itself, and has been used for centuries by regular folk and public performers such as
ortaoyunu artists alike. It has found a renewed use in modern theatre, where actors about to go on stage are wished good luck by being told to "break the Devil's leg."
Other languages
In Russian they use the phrase "ни пуха ни пера" (
ni puha ni pera) which literally means "neither down nor feathers" (this started as a hunter's ritual meaning may he return unsuccessful). As with all these phrases you are not supposed to respond "thank you" as this would indicate you understood the phrase to mean good luck and so the superstition would believe that bad luck would befall you. Instead you respond "к черту" (
k chertu)—"go to the devil" or "go to hell." In French they say "merde" and no response is given (just a growl). In Italian they say "in bocca al lupo" (in the mouth of the wolf) and the response is "crepi (il lupo)"—"may the wolf die." Variations on phrases like this exist in most languages.
Lincoln theory
Popular etymology derives the phrase from the
1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
John Wilkes Booth, the actor turned assassin, leapt to the stage of
Ford's Theatre after murdering the President.
[7] In his diary he claims he broke his leg while jumping onto the stage. 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.
[2][8] 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.
[9]
Vaudeville
One explanation lends to the early days of Vaudeville. Variety acts at the time were only paid if they were able step on the stage and complete their act. The side curtains, called "legs" needed to be passed in order to walk on stage hence "break a leg" was a phrase passed between performers as a well-wish and subsequent pay.
Non-literal
There are many non-literal references this expression could be referring to.
- In traditional curtains, the legs of the curtain were constructed from long wooden rods. In the case of many encores, curtains would be lifted and dropped numerous times causing them to "break."
- Another popular alternative theory concerning the physical "legs," or side curtains, of the theatre proposes that the company of actors should rush onstage through the curtains to take a considerable amount of bows, thus "breaking a leg (side curtain)" in the process.[1][3][10]
- The term "break a leg" may be an abbreviation for the phrase "break a legend" which roughly means "go get yourself out there" or related to meaning "break" (example this is your big break).
- The term "break a leg" may also be related to the members of a play / performance since they are known as the "cast."
- To get a leg up, and catch your big / lucky break.[1][3]
Richard III theory
Some attribute the line 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 unaware of a fracture.
[11]
Alternate terms
In some areas, the phrase "break a leg" itself has fallen into bad superstitious repute. In
Australia, the term "chookas" can be used instead. According to one oral tradition, one of the performers 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 "chooks"—Australian slang for chicken—for dinner. Therefore, if it was a full house, the performer would call out "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 the
UK, "fall down backwards" or "here's mud in your eyes" may also be used. The origins of these terms are as unknown to us as is the origin of "break a leg."
While "break a leg" has become the standard for stage actors, there are other terms used for other types of performing arts that mean the same thing. For example:
- Theatre artists and professionals often use "Merde!" (French, meaning "shit.") as a way to wish luck to one another on their opening night. The tradition originates from the French play Ubu Roi, where at the play's opening night in Paris, on December 10, 1896, a riot broke out, spreading into the streets after the first word of the play was spoken to the audience: "Merdre". ("Merde", with an additional "r")[12] Theatre artists consider such an extreme response to one's work a respectable achievement, and use the term to wish colleagues luck in provoking as significant a reaction on their own opening.
- The use of "Merde" has also been adapted by students facing final exams. [13]
- 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). It was said that saliva had demon-banishing powers. Rotwelsch tof, from Yiddish tow, "good" (derived from the Hebrew תוו with similarities to the Old German word for "Devil.")[14]
See also
