break a leg
Idioms-
Fracture one or more leg bones, as in She fell down the stairs and broke her leg in two places . [c. a.d. 1000]
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Good luck! as in Play well, Rob—break a leg! The origin of this imperative to a performer about to go onstage is unclear; it may have been a translation of the German Hals und Beinbruch (“Break your neck and leg”), also of unknown origin. Equally mysterious is the Italian equivalent, In bocca di lupe , “Into the mouth of the wolf.” [c. 1900]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Chookas is the Australian way of saying good luck or break a leg and apparently it's slang for chicken," she explained.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2024
"I think I took it a little too literally when they said, 'Go to Milwaukee and break a leg.'"
From Reuters ● Aug. 24, 2023
So whose bright idea was it to tell Braves pitcher Charlie Morton to break a leg before Game 1?
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
“If you catch Covid before, they don’t offer cancellation coverage. If you break a leg, the policy may only cover Covid medication. It varies by country.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2020
He would make no progress in the dark and could easily break a leg.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
