Why Do We Say “Break a Leg” for Good Luck?

This episode unpacks the curious theater tradition of wishing someone “break a leg” instead of “good luck.” In theater culture, saying “good luck” is considered bad luck, so performers adopted this playful alternative as a protective ritual. Several theories explain its origin: from actors “breaking the line” of the stage curtain, to bowing so often after a great performance that they “broke a leg,” to borrowing the German phrase Hals- und Beinbruch (“neck and leg break”), which ironically meant “good fortune.” Over time, the phrase spread beyond the stage into sports, interviews, and everyday life. What sounds like a curse is, in fact, one of the warmest wishes for success.