knock on wood

WOTD – 13 December 2006    

Wikipedia

English

Pronunciation

• (RP): IPA: /ˈnɒk ɒn ˈwʊd/
• (US): IPA: /ˈnɑk ɑn ˈwʊd/, /ˈnɔk ɔn ˈwʊd/, /ˈnak ɑn ˈwʊd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

knock on wood

1. (idiomatic, US) To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted by a presumptuous statement.
2. (idiomatic, US) A self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.

   I do a lot of walking, and I have never had any knee problems yet, knock on wood.

See also

• touch wood (UK)

Translations

take a customary action to ward off misfortune

• Croatian: kucnuti u drvo
• Dutch: hout vasthouden
• Finnish: koputtaa puuta (fi)
• French: toucher du bois
• German: auf Holz klopfen (de)

• Greek: χτύπα ξύλο (el) (chtipa xilo)
• Persian: بزن به تخته (bezan be taxta)
• Russian: постучать по дереву (postučát’ po dérevu)
• Spanish: tocar madera (es)
• Swedish: peppar, peppar, ta i trä (pepper, pepper, grip wood), peppar peppar
• Turkish: tahtaya vur (tr)