Impress the audience so much that you will need to bend down to pick up the coins they throw onto the stage.Put on a performance good enough that you will have to bend your knee in a bow or curtsey to acknowledge the applause.For example, the following things could be related to "breaking a leg": So the theories they offer stem from this. There are many references to the phrase used that way, which pre-date the earliest theatrical good luck charm meaning. 'Break a leg' also means, 'make a strenuous effort'. The Phrase Finder ( hat tip to Unreason) has even more theories on how the term came to be. 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. Some etymologists believe it to be an adaptation from the Yiddish translation into German. Still another claims that the origins are, in fact, Yiddish: 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. Instead, they stomped for their appreciation and if they stomped long enough, they would break a leg. In the time of Ancient Greece, people didn't applaud. People in theatre consider it bad luck to wish an actor good luck, so instead they wish the opposite, by saying "break a leg!".Īnother theory claims that the phrase has Greek origins: The one that is often mentioned (as far as I have heard), is called the Opposite Meaning theory. The article goes on to mention several theories about the actual origins of this expression.
#Break a leg professional#
Among professional dancers, the phrase "break a leg" is replaced with "merde". The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use. The sentiment remains the same today the term means “good luck, give a good performance.Reflects a theatrical superstition in which wishing a person "good luck" is considered bad luck. If you were to tell the actor to “break a leg,” you were wishing them the opportunity to perform and get paid. If actors were not performing, they had to stay behind the “leg line,” which also meant they wouldn’t get paid. In the early days of theater, this is where ensemble actors were queued to perform. The most common theory refers to an actor breaking the “leg line” of the stage. Some say 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. If the audience stomped long enough, they would break a leg. Another comes from ancient Greece, where the audience didn’t clap but instead stomped their feet to show appreciation. One story says spirits wreak havoc on your wishes and make the opposite happen. There are numerous ideas about the origin of the phrase.
It may seem odd, but in the theater world, saying “good luck” is actually considered bad luck. If you’ve come to one of our shows, or any theater performance in general, odds are you’ve heard the term “break a leg,” and maybe even used it to wish performers good luck.
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