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Katie Beirne Fallon and Shaun Donovan knocking on wood in the Oval Office (2015). Knocking on wood (also phrased touching wood or touch wood) is an apotropaic tradition of literally touching, tapping, or knocking on wood, or merely stating that one is doing or intending to do so, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favorable prediction or boast, or a declaration concerning one's ...
Knocking on wood: This age-old superstition is believed to prevent bad luck or jinxes. If you say something hopeful, knock on wood to "seal the deal" and keep good fortune on your side.
Knocking on wood: This age-old superstition is believed to prevent bad luck or jinxes. If you say something hopeful, knock on wood to "seal the deal" and keep good fortune on your side.
The ritual may vary according to local custom: one is to leave the theatre building or at least the room occupied when the name was mentioned, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock to be allowed back in. This particular iteration of the ritual is documented in the play The Dresser and its film adaptations. [1]
There are many theories as to the origin of Toi toi toi as an idiom. In folklore it was used to ward off a spell or hex, often accompanied by knocking on wood or spitting. One origin theory sees "toi toi toi" as the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times, a common practice in many parts of the world to ward off evil spirits.
Superstitions can be culturally informed, the publication also notes, ranging from the evil eye amulets thought to ward off evil in countries like Turkey to the American notion that wishing on a ...
Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tradition, as in good luck charms (perhaps some token on a charm bracelet), amulets, or gestures such as crossed fingers or knocking on wood. Many different objects and charms were used for protection throughout history.
Witch bottles. According to Frederick Alexander Durham writing in 1892, the Britons at the time were in some ways just as superstitious as their ancestors. [5] According to the Andrew D. McCarthy, the finding and identification of more than 200 witch bottles reinforces the view that early modern Britain was a superstitious society, where evil could be fended off with a mixture of urine and hair.