Meaning

1 senses

  1. (idiomatic)Good luck!; Do your best!; Said to someone wishing they perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.

    Go out there and break a leg tonight. Put on a great show!

    I told my friend to break a leg, before she went on stage.

    Hals- und Beinbruch!, Mast- und Schotbruch!

    ни пу́ха ни пера́ni púxa ni perá, ни хвоста ни чешуиni xvosta ni češui

    ні пу́ху ні пера́!ni púxu ni perá!, ні пір'я ні лускиni pirʺja ni lusky

Examples

104 sentences

  1. How did you break your leg?

    Як ти зламав ногу? — miketheknight

    ruКак ты сломал ногу? — marafon

    deWie hast du dir denn das Bein gebrochen? — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. Have you ever broken a leg?

    Ти колись ламав ногу? — deniko

    ruТы когда-нибудь ломал ногу? — odexed

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Tell Tom I have a broken leg.

    Скажи Тому, що в мене зламана нога. — deniko

    ruСкажи Тому, что у меня сломана нога. — marafon

    deSag Tom, ich habe ein gebrochenes Bein. — l4t3

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Tell Tom that I have a broken leg.

    Скажи Тому, що в мене зламана нога. — deniko

    ruСкажи Тому, что у меня сломана нога. — marafon

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Not only did Tom break his leg, he got badly burned.

    Том не тільки зламав ногу, але й сильно обпікся. — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
expression of best wishes to a performer:
Русский
By meaning 1
expression of best wishes to a performer:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
expression of best wishes to a performer:

Origin

Unknown; many unproven and widely debated theories exist. One of the most plausible is tha

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 fracture”). The Yiddish phrase itself comes from Hebrew הַצְלָחָה וּבְרָכָה (hatzlakhá u-v'rakhá, “success and blessing”). Another possible origin was to wish opposite luck on the performer so as not to jinx the statement.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Synonyms

1 synonyms
toi, toi, toi

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
breadthbreadwinnerC2breakA1breakableB2breakagebreakdownB2
break a leg — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto