#Break a leg in french professional

The German-language term continues to mean 'good luck' but is still not specific to the theatre. For example, Luftwaffe pilots are reported as using the phrase Hals- und Beinbruch to wish each other luck. Most commonly favored as a credible theory by etymologists and other scholars, the term was possibly a loan translation from the German phrase Hals- und Beinbruch, literally 'neck and leg(bone) break', itself a loan translation from, and pun on, a Yiddish phrase (Yiddish: הצלחה און ברכה, romanized: hatsloche un broche, lit.'success and blessing', Hebrew: hatzlacha u-bracha), a wish for good luck, because of the Yiddish phrase's humorously similar pronunciation to the unrelated German phrase. Non-theatrical origins Yiddish-German pun theory

#Break a leg in french professional

Among professional dancers, the traditional saying is not 'break a leg', but the French word ' merde'.

Though the term likely originates in German, the English expression is first attributed in the 1930s or possibly 1920s, originally documented without specifically theatrical associations. An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor), 'break a leg' is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition. ' Break a leg' is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer ' good luck'. A small crowd meant a small meal, but a large crowd meant chooka (chicken).For other uses, see Break a leg (disambiguation). chookas - Australian performers used to assess the crowd to determine how they would eat that night.in bocca al lupo - To wish an Italian performer luck, say in bocca al lupo ('in the mouth of the wolf') They'll call back crepi! ('may it die') It refers to Italian hunters who wished each other luck and not ending up eaten by a wolf.It could also come from the Yiddish word tov meaning 'good.' The phrase sounds like spitting, an ancient way to frighten off spirits, or warning the devil away ( Teufel). toi toi toi - Opera singers recite toi toi toi as a superstitious way to ward off an evil spell.In Spanish, it's mucha mierda in Portuguese, you say muita merda. French dancers still wish each other merde (French for sh**) before a show. merde - When a show was successful, there would be many horse-driven carriages outside, resulting in lots of horse poop on the street.(But whatever you do, don't say 'good luck' - as seen in the song ' Bad Luck to Say Good Luck on Opening Night' from The Producers). If you want to wish an actor a good show, there are more ways to do it than saying, 'break a leg.' Check out these additional theatre expressions that wish someone a good show. His performance of Richard III was so captivating that he didn't even notice his own broken leg - and he finished the entire show! the literal broken leg - One theatre legend comes from 18th-century actor David Garrick.wishful understudies - Edna Ferber's A Peculiar Treasure from 1939 recounts the way understudies would sit in the back row 'politely wishing the various principals would break a leg.' That way, they'd get to act the part instead.A very good show would certainly result in lots of bowing! curtsies and bows - Some believe that 'break a leg' comes from the way actors' legs bend when they are curtsying or bowing at the end of a good show.When they'd make it on stage, they were known as 'breaking the leg line.' breaking the leg line - Early actors would line up in hopes to be chosen for that night's performances.A great show meant that at least one chair leg would be broken by the end of the night. breaking a chair leg - Later audiences, including audiences in Shakespearean plays, would stomp their chairs.By wishing an actor to 'break a leg,' they meant that the show would be so successful that an audience member would stomp so hard they'd break their own leg (perhaps not literally). clapping - Ancient Greek audiences stomped their feet instead of clapping. When actors really wanted a successful show, they'd wish for the worst possible outcome. wishing for the opposite - An ancient superstition claims that if you really want something, you need to wish for the opposite.There are many possible origins to 'break a leg' in the history of theatre. Bernard Sobel's 1948 Theatre Handbook and Digest of Play explained that actors never said 'Good luck,' only 'I hope you break a leg.' Although it was the first time the phrase appeared in print in the theatre world, it certainly wasn't the first time actors said it to each other.