Idiom
Break a leg
Break a leg is a friendly way to wish someone good luck, especially right before a performance such as a play, concert or speech.
How people use it
Many theater people avoid saying "good luck" before a show, because they consider it bad luck. Break a leg became the playful replacement. Today people say it to anyone about to perform or face a big moment: an actor, a musician, a student giving a talk, even a friend heading into a job interview. It is always kind and never a threat, though English learners often find it alarming at first. You usually say it just before the event, often as a parting line: "Break a leg tonight."
Examples
- Break a leg tonight; I'll be in the third row cheering for you.
- Before Priya walked on stage for her piano recital, her teacher whispered, "Break a leg."
- Your presentation is going to be great, so go break a leg.
Where it comes from
No one knows for sure. The phrase shows up in print in the early 1900s and was a common theater saying by the middle of the century. Theories include the superstition that wishing for something bad brings the opposite, a similar German good-luck wish that mentions breaking a neck and a leg, and the idea of bending a knee to take a bow. None of these stories is proven.
Check yourself
1. A friend says "Break a leg" before your school play. What does she mean?
Answer: Good luck. Break a leg is a theater way of wishing good luck, not a wish for an injury.
2. When is break a leg the most natural thing to say?
Answer: Right before someone gives a big performance. People say it just before a performance or big moment, as a good-luck wish.
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