Why do we say "Break a Leg"?

Meaning:

Good luck!

Background:

One of the most superstitious groups of people in the world is actors, and the industry is rife with traditions said to bring bad luck. One is never supposed to whistle backstage, for example, or to mention the name of “the Scottish play” (i.e., Macbeth). One of the biggest no-nos is to wish someone good luck before they take the stage, as it’s widely thought that this will actually cause the person in question to have a poor performance. Continuing that reverse logic, then, it’s standard to wish ill luck on someone in the hopes of encouraging fate to be kind to them; thus, the phrase “break a leg” as we know it.

A number of theories exist as to what breaking a leg may have originally meant. Phrases.org.uk lists these less likely speculations:

• It’s a wish that an actor’s performance will be so good that they’re called upon to repeatedly bow or curtsy (“break a leg”) to acknowledge applause.
• Along the same lines, it’s a hope the actor will have to bend down to pick up coins thrown on the stage by the audience in appreciation.
• Another thought is that once the curtain is lowered at the end of the performance, the desire is for the individual to be called around the curtain’s edge, known as the legs, for additional applause.
• The actor’s supporter may have been referencing the famous one-legged actress Sarah Bernhardt.
• It may be a reference to legendary British actor David Garrick, who fractured his leg onstage during a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III. He was so immersed in the role that he didn’t notice until the end of the play.
• Finally, it could be a reference to John Wilkes Booth, who broke his leg jumping to the stage after assassinating President Lincoln.

Many believe that the expression has its roots in a Hebrew phrase: “hatzlakha u-brakha,” which translates to “success and blessing.” A corruption of this saying was employed by WWII Luftwaffe pilots, who would tell each other “Hals und Beinbruch” (“break your neck and leg”) before takeoff. As the post-war American theater employed many Jewish and German refugees, it’s quite possible the phrase followed them to the United States from Europe. It first appeared in print in this context in The Charleston Gazette in May 1948.

Some sources claim the idiom originated a bit earlier, in the horse racing world. Essayist Robert Wilson Lynd penned an article in 1921 titled "A Defence of Superstition" for the British magazine The New Statesman. In it, the author states that those who race horses would never wish luck to each other, fearing they’re tempting the fates. It’s therefore much more acceptable to tell your fellow rider, “I hope your horse will break a leg.” Although this article was published much earlier than the first mention in print of an association with the theater world, most believe that the phrase did, indeed, gain popularity through the acting community.

Today, the phrase is used well beyond the theater world, with “break a leg” commonly understood as a way to wish someone good luck before an undertaking.

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