In the acting world, the origin of the term “break a leg” is hotly debated. What is known is that it is a good luck wish that is only given to actors and not to other theater employees. “Don’t mess up,” stagehands are basically told, though the word “mess” is frequently replaced with a more popular four-letter word.
The superstitious interpret the phrase as a warning to evil spirits not to intentionally harm one’s performance. On the other hand, actually wishing someone good luck would invoke the evil eye. As a result, expressing “good luck” may actually bring the actor bad luck.
The term’s origins can be traced back to Elizabethan English. In Shakespeare’s time, breaking a leg meant bowing while bending the knee. Because only a successful actor would bow on stage and receive applause, this phrase would have been interpreted as a wish for the actor’s good fortune and a good performance. However, the phrase also meant giving birth to an illegitimate child in the 16th century, which is difficult to connect to the theatrical world.
Others attribute the phrase “break a leg” to the audiences of Classical Greece. Audiences would stomp their feet instead of applauding actors. It’s unlikely that someone would stamp to the point of injury. However, loud stomping sounds indicated a higher level of appreciation for the actor’s performance. It would be a sign of acting success if you could make people pound their feet so hard that they hurt themselves.
The story of John Wilkes Booth leaping to the stage at the Ford Theater after firing the shots that would assassinate President Abraham Lincoln is more rooted in the tradition of superstitious reasons for wishing for someone to “break a leg.” He actually broke a leg during the jump. However, unless it is later connected to the comedians’ concept of “killing” an audience, which means being successful, his performance as an assassin is clearly not enviable.
The phrase is also associated with the film and play 42nd Street. Peggy Sawyer is given the opportunity to play the lead in the play because she is the understudy of the star, who breaks her leg and is unable to continue. Peggy’s performance has been praised.
Getting a “break” in show business is often referred to as landing parts. Breaking into show business is a term used to describe success. The phrase “break a leg” can then be associated with a successful foray into the world of acting.
The German phrase Hals un Beinbruch, which means “happy landings” in English, is another possibility. The term, which literally means “breaking all one’s bones,” was used by both German and English pilots. The phrase was clearly in use in the 1920s after WWI, so it’s possible that actors adopted it.
Ballet dancers have their own version of the phrase, which refers to the superstitious practice of not wishing good luck to other dancers. They say merde!, which is a four-letter word that roughly translates to “excrement” in English. This term appears to be more expressive of not implying bad luck, but it could also imply feelings related to stage fright or performance anxiety.