touch wood (U.S. knock on wood)
idiomatic phrase

- said in order to avoid bad luck, either when you mention good luck that you have had in the past, or when you mention hopes you have for the future.

The Cambridge Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

A common explanation traces the "touch wood" to ancient Celtic peoples, who believed it called on spirits or gods of the trees, while Christians tie the practice to the wood of the cross of crucifixion.

A more modern theory suggests it derives from a playground game called “Tiggy Touchwood” in which players are safe from being tagged if they are touching wood.

The British version of the phrase “touch wood” has been traced back as far as the 17th century.

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GOOD LUCK IN TIMES PAST

“Salt Over Shoulder”
European/Christian, ancient Roman

A common superstition, at least in the West, involves tossing salt over one’s shoulder. This superstition involves the idea of ‘warding off evil’ — in this case, the Devil himself. In Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, Jesus’ betrayer, Judas Iscariot, is portrayed as having accidentally spilled salt. Throwing salt over his shoulder would presumably blind the devil waiting there.

“Walking Under a Ladder”
European/Christian, possibly Egyptian

The superstition of not wanting to walk under a ladder also has roots in Christian symbolism. The “Holy Trinity” of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit led to an association of the number three with something sacred. The triangle, with its three sides, also came to be regarded as sacred, and a ladder of course, forms a triangle. To walk under a ladder would be to destroy the sanctity of the Trinity, not to mention the obvious danger of something falling from it onto you.

“Broken Mirror”
Ancient Greek/Roman, European

The belief that a broken mirror brings bad luck may have its origins in the simple fact that reflections of ourselves are uncanny and often unnerving (particularly on a “bad hair” day). There may also be a connection to Narcissus of Greek mythology, or the idea that a crack in a mirror would somehow break its charm or trap one’s soul.

“Fingers Crossed”
Western Europe, Pagan & Christian

The superstition of crossing one’s fingers has the intention of bringing the “finger-crosser” good luck. The practice of making a cross with your own and the index finger of another person was thought to concentrate the forces of good spirits and to seal a pact or a wish with a fellow-crosser. Over time, people realized they could simply bless their own wishes by crossing first their own two index fingers, and then later simply the index and middle fingers of one hand,... which is what we do today.

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SYNONYMS

cross your fingers, keep fingers crossed, fingers crossed, knock on wood, hope for the best, TOUCH WOOD

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“TOUCH WOOD! His operation looks like a complete success. We're just awaiting the results of the final tests.”

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40