Break a leg

"Break a leg" is a well-known saying in theatre which means "good luck". It is typically said to actors 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

The origin of the expression is disputed. 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]

Traditional 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. 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 welcoming 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.

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.

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. ^[3]

Roman origin

In the time of Ancient Rome, gladiators would fight to the death as a form of popular entertainment in the colosseum^[4]. 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

The phrase has been adopted from Yiddish into German. The phrase "Hatsloche un Broche" (הצלחה און ברכה) ("success and blessing") has been translated into the German phrase "Hals- und Beinbruch" ("neck and leg fracture").^[5]

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 a student good luck before an exam.

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 Theater, where actors about to go on stage are wished good luck by being told to "break the Devils' 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. ^[6]. 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. ^[7][2] Furthermore the phrase has distinct origins in other languages that well predate the late 1800s. 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.^[8]

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.
• 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'.

Peasant theory

A very whimsical theory is the Groundling or Peasant Theory. In the times of Shakespeare, theatres such as the Globe Theatre were open-air amphitheatres. People who could afford it sat in the covered balcony seats while those unable to afford the balcony seating prices had to crowd the front of the theatre in the open. Mockingly, these audience members were referred to as Groundlings (today's "nosebleed section" audience status). Transfixed by well done performances the 'Groundlings' would drool. Actors would wish each other good luck by saying, "may you give such a stirring performance that you fall on the ensuing spot of the drooling Groundlings, and break a leg".^{[citation needed]}

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.^[9]

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:

Dancers use "Merde!" as a way to wish luck to one another. Translated from French it means "shit".^[10]

Opera Singers use "Toi Toi Toi", (probably derived from the Old German word for 'Devil') as a charm to ward off evil or as a good luck charm before stage.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Macbeth / The Scottish play
• Thespis

References

• Bevington, David. The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Fifth Edition. United States: Longman; 5 edition, 2003

External links

• Break a Leg - Glossary of Technical Theatre Terms (With many explanations as to the origins of the term)
• Ask Yahoo - "Where did the expression "break a leg" come from?"
• Break a Leg, and Other Good Wishes, by Matthew Alice, in the San Diego Reader.
• Break a Leg by Gary Martin, phrases.org.uk, 1996 - 2006.
• Resource on Ortaoyunu