Definitions
Wiktionary
- v. idiomatic To perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.
Etymologies
- Unknown; many unproven and widely debated theories exist. One of the most plausible is that it comes from Yiddish הצלחה און ברכה (hatslokhe un brokhe, "success and blessing") through the heavy Ashkenazi Jewish influence in the American theater, via the misinterpretation in German as Hals- und Beinbruch ("neck and leg break"). The phrase in fact comes from Hebrew הַצְלָחָה וּבְרָכָה (hatzlakhá u-v'rakhá, "success and blessing"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
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Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘break a leg’.
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Public List: Body Metaphors
Phrases that use body parts metaphorically.
neck of the woods, bone of contention, mouth of a river, teeth of the storm, heart of the matter, foot of the bed, eye of the storm, dogleg hole, finger lakes, headwaters, foothills, knik arm and 212 more...
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phraseologue
phrases—not sure exactly what I'm doing with them though
how dare you, what could possib..., I have to hand it..., so it's come to this, this isn't funny ..., how do I put this, at the end of the..., not a happy camper, a good time was h..., it's been real, are you not enter..., dead men tell no ... and 378 more...
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Things from my memory
nigger baby, mexican jumping bean, puddle jumper, mood ring, pet rock, cat scratch fever, taxman, hippie, vaseline, argyrol, mercurchrome, methiolade and 655 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for break a leg.
treeseed "Break a leg" is a well-known saying in theatre which means "good luck". It is typically said to actors before they go out onto stage to perform.
The expression is a theatrical superstition that replaces the phrase "good luck," which is considered bad luck. The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use.
_Wikipedia Feb 4, 2008