We’re seeing lots of folks in the comments talking about the various theories around “break a leg,” so I figured I’d share some sources!

Let’s start with the Oxford English Dictionary’s take on this: “The likeliest explanation is that, according to theatrical superstition, it is considered unlucky to say the words ‘good luck’ to a performer.” Other theories, it says, lack evidence. Read more here: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/leg_n?tab=meaning_and_use (subscription required)

These are some primary sources containing early uses of the phrase in English and tying it to superstition:

* Here’s the earliest known English reference to this phrase in regard to theater, first published in 1921 by Robert Wilson Lynd: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Essays_by_Present_day_Writers/Pv8-AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22%22break+a+leg%22%22+actor&pg=PA170&printsec=frontcover

* On page 74 of this novel from 1925, you’ll find “break a leg” used outside of a theater context but similarly used to wish misfortune on someone to avoid jinxing them with well-wishes: https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QaeSDLPuYAYCRA0dtv1gGzijt8vBNviY0FSgX4aiZffbVP617EyTR1bYpyez6slqr8xzHRxEk_grHo0CHugVwlFRyG0yP4cPscItNztjMmuobU7CsnwT4V3Z1qTlgI1JSjnaixQ_7-5vFFmRFqGZElO6CEO8u0wdNcql9aqI8tnhG-vxnPMgfXsoG45UM-7s5SsY30RaMsYU7TXgSIGzva8tOso8vJkRn5ciiRyIhkxTRZ8U8ga9Neo-pBeuTn3OHeTaB8qP

* And here is the same explanation from 1940 in a reference book of stage terms by Bernard Sobel, a respected theater critic and author who published many works on the history of theater and related customs: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.58043/page/n721/mode/2up?q=%22break+a+leg%22

* It may also be a loan translation or conceptual transfer from another language (an additional connection to luck and superstition), but evidence for this varies. Berkeley folklorist Alan Dundes writes (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1499654) that the earlier German usage in WWI aviation of the phrase “Hals- und Beinbruch,” or “neck and leg breakm” predate and could have influenced the theater idiom. The German phrase may be an intentional/dark twist on the Yiddish phrase (genuinely) wishing someone well, hatsloche un broche, or “success and blessing.” The OED references but does not fully support this parallel: “A partial formal parallel is shown by German Hals- und Beinbruch!, lit. ‘may you break your neck and your leg!’ (1902 or earlier in a hunting context, 1913 or earlier in a theatre context), but evidence for direct influence of the German well-wishing phrase on the English use appears to be lacking.” https://www.oed.com/dictionary/leg_n?tab=meaning_and_use

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The following are considered UNLIKELY or fanciful folklore due to chronology and lack of evidence:

* John Wilkes Booth theory: There was indeed a rumor that JWB broke his leg leaping to the stage; historian Michael W. Kauffman disputes that this ever happened due to eyewitness accounts of him running. That doesn’t mean the story couldn’t have inspired an idiom, but the first book I found connecting this tale to the idiom was in 1974 in a list of purported theories about it (presented as potential folklore and without firm evidence). https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dramatics/pOEvAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22break%20a%20leg%22%20%22john%20wilkes%20booth%22

* “Leg line” theory: “Leg” is indeed a term for "tall, narrow drapes hung parallel to the proscenium at the sides of the stage." Aside from the OED dismissing this theory, the earliest reference I could find to “legs” as a name for this type of curtain was in the 1950s, and early references do not contain any mention of of the idiom (and vice versa, primary sources connecting the idiom to the curtain are lacking).

* “Cast” theory: This is a joke/pun. “Why did the aspiring actor break a leg? So they’d be put in a cast.” It is also a relatively recent joke/pun; there’s no indication that the speakers in the earliest references to it are making a joke about “casts”; indeed, they fairly explicitly say the phrase is used to prevent bad luck. (It also doesn't make much sense logically considering one is typically told to "break a leg" after one has already been cast in a play and is preparing to go on stage.)

We have the same lack of evidence in any early references of the idiom to the notion that "break a leg" has to do with actors bowing, audiences stomping, and chair legs breaking.

And for what it's worth, I completely agree that these are obviously fun theories, and worth sharing as well.

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General advice: For secondary sources, I’d encourage folks to lean on both well-known/prestigious dictionary sites and reference books such as the OED, and if you want to double check primary sources, you can find references in context and verify chronology references among primary sources using Google’s Ngrams tool, Google Books’ public domain archive, the Internet Archive, and Gutenberg.

I would also suggest avoiding AI summaries and tools for etymology research without identifying the source material they’re pulling from; they tend to draw from the top-ranked results for related keywords—which in many cases tend to be keyword optimized blogs rather than more reliable sources. You can test this yourself by asking for the etymology of a word or phrase you know to have several spurious yet popular explanations; you’ll find the AI tool presents the spurious ones as fact or insinuates that they have a greater degree of credibility.

Happy hunting!

— Jess

I had a friend who used to say, "drunk as a bicycle." I didn't understand it for years. When I finally asked, he said, "Have you ever seen a bicycle stand up by itself?" 😂

I don’t think “beating around the bush” means to “indirectly CAUSE something to occur”, but to DELAY causing that thing to occur by not directly addressing the matter. Meaning, the bird would remain hidden in the bush is the attendant/servant beat AROUND the bush instead of beating the bush directly. That’s why “Get to the point”  what someone usually says to accompany saying “Stop beating around the bush”.

There’s a joke that goes “It’s raining cats and dogs!” “How do you know?” “I just stepped in a poodle!”

The stunned look on Rob's face when Jess said "F the dog" was absolutely priceless. Thanks for that Jess.

"Sober as a Judge" was more often spoken in my circles in an alternate form "I am Jober as a Sudge"

For sober as a judge, I just assumed they meant sober as in serious, not silly, not messing around in the courtroom.

Chinese has thousands of idioms, mostly in 4 character format. My favorite is for someone who has an over-complicated solution to a problem: you take off your trousers to fart.

An old children's joke went, "What's worse than raining cats and dogs? A: Hailing taxicabs."

13:23  I love how Rob uses the idiom “take with a pinch of salt” when describing the research behind another idiom, but that idiom itself is never addressed!!

As an ESL teacher for Cambridge, these shows are some of the best ice breakers for classes. The Chinese students love to see UK and USA working together with etymology and language.

I remember an old Tommy Cooper sketch in which he was in the dock of a courtroom. He says in his defence, "I was drunk as a judge." The judge corrected him, "Drunk as a lord!" To which Tommy replied, "Yes, my lord."

My son is 27 years old. I remember his birth as if it were yesterday. Its so nice to see a excited new father. Take lots of pictures. Rosie will be asking for the car keys before you know it.

Its great to have you two back. Congrats on Rob on becoming a dad. It was great to see Jess can still make Rob blush

The Swiss have a couple great idiomatic expressions:

“He’s now wearing wooden pajamas.” = He’s dead. (wood pajamas = the coffin)

“to cough (up) a rainbow” = to puke; essentially the Germanic version of “a technicolor yawn”.

I always thought the "Break your leg" had something to do with John Wilkes Booth jumping on stage and breaking his leg

"When your father comes home, he's going to read you the Riot Act. Tell him I already read it. I found it wordy and not very well thought out." - George Carlin

I attended a class in linguistics as an elective while in graduate school. We were assigned to do a presentation to the class. Since most of the other students were planning to teach English as a second language (ESL) I did a presentation on how you might translate idioms from foreign languages. The students had to guess what they meant and give an English equivalent. Here are some examples:

Danish: it will cost the white of your eye (it will cost an arm and a leg)
Spanish: you are just whipping the air (you are beating a dead horse)
Japanese: passing wind, closing buttocks (closing the barn door after the horse has bolted)
Chinese: the wood has already been made into a boat (you can't unscramble an egg)

Re: the sick parrot - parrots are extremely lively birds (when not held alone in a small cage). They move about, screech, preen, play and chat all day, it's hard not to find their sheer lust for life contagious (or to be annoyed by the ceaseless noise if you're that kind of person) as long as they're feeling well. When you've known a parrot for a while and all of a sudden it's just sitting there in silence for hours on end, that's very worrying. You'd prepare for it to soon be deceased, have passed on, be demised, be no more, have ceased to be, be expired, have gone to meet its maker, be a late parrot, be stiff, be bereft of life, rest in peace, push up the daisies, have flung down the curtain, joined the choir invisible, be an ex-parrot, have kicked the bucket…

So as a middle aged American working in China for an extended period, the opportunity came up to use the idiom "mouse in your pocket" with my Chinese coworkers when one of them suggested that "we" do something that was obviously not popular with the rest of the  group. I'll never forget their reaction and wanting me to share more sayings with them.