Break A Leg - Alternate Terms

Alternate Terms

Professional dancers do not wish each other good luck by saying "break a leg"; instead they say "Merde!", the French word for "shit". In turn, theater people have picked up this usage and may wish each other "merde", alone or in combination with "break a leg".

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. From Rotwelsch tof, from Yiddish tov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German word for "Devil.") One explanation is that "toi toi toi" is the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times. Spitting three times over someone's head or shoulder is a gesture to ward off evil spirits. 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 choke") (see Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Myth & Legend).

In Australia, the term "chookas" has been used also. 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.