knock on wood

English

WOTD – 13 December 2006

Etymology

From a folk practice of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌnɒk ɒn ˈwʊd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌnɑk ɑn ˈwʊd/, [ˌnäk än ˈwʊd]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (Southern US, Midland US) IPA^(key): /ˌnɑk ɔn ˈwʊd/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

knock on wood (third-person singular simple present knocks on wood, present participle knocking on wood, simple past and past participle knocked on wood)

1. (idiomatic, US, Philippines) To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted by a presumptuous statement.

   Synonym: (UK, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand) touch wood

Translations

to take a customary action to ward off misfortune

• Bulgarian: чукам на дърво (čukam na dǎrvo, literally “to knock on wood”)
• Catalan: tocar fusta (ca) (literally “to touch wood”), tocar ferro (ca) (literally “to touch iron”)
• Danish: banke under bordet (literally “to knock under the table”)
• Dutch: afkloppen (nl) (literally “to knock”), (mostly in Belgium) hout vasthouden (literally “to hold on wood”)
• Estonian: vastu puud koputama (literally “to knock on wood”)
• Finnish: koputtaa puuta (literally “to knock on wood”)
• French: toucher du bois (fr) (literally “to touch wood”)
• German: auf Holz klopfen (de) (literally “to knock on wood”)
• Greek: χτύπα ξύλο (chtýpa xýlo, literally “hit wood”)
• Hungarian: lekopog (hu)
• Indonesian: amit-amit
• Italian: toccare ferro (literally “to touch iron”)
• Norwegian: banke i bordet (literally “to knock on the table”)
• Persian: زدن به تخته (zanad be taxta, literally “to knock on the table”)
• Polish: odpukać w niemalowane drewno (pl) pf (literally “to knock on unpainted wood”)
• Portuguese: bater na madeira (literally “to knock on wood”)
• Romanian: bate în lemn (literally “to knock on wood”)
• Russian: постуча́ть по де́реву pf (postučátʹ po dérevu, literally “to knock on wood”), сплю́нуть че́рез ле́вое плечо́ pf (spljúnutʹ čérez lévoje plečó, literally “to spit over the left shoulder”)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ку̏цнути у др̏во pf (literally “to knock on wood”)

  Roman: kȕcnuti u dȑvo pf (literally “to knock on wood”)

• Spanish: tocar madera (literally “to touch wood”)
• Swedish: peppar, peppar, ta i trä (sv) (literally “pepper, pepper, grip wood”)

Interjection

knock on wood

1. (idiomatic, US, Philippines) Hopefully; a self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.

   Synonym: (UK, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand) touch wood

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

Usage notes

• The expression is used superstitiously to avert the possibility that something just mentioned (if bad) might not occur, or (if it is a good thing) might occur. The action may or may not be performed, depending on how literally the speaker adheres to the superstition. If it is taken literally, it is usual to attempt physically to touch some wooden object whilst, or shortly after, exclaiming knock on wood. Failure to find and touch a wooden item within a short time may be considered ominous, and cause mental distress to the person involved.

Translations

hopefully; used when undertaking such a customary action

• Arabic: أَمْسِكْ الْخَشَبَ (ʔamsik al-ḵašaba, literally “seize wood”), (Lebanon) دُقَّ عَالْخَشَبَ (duqqa ʕālḵašaba, literally “knock on wood”)
• Catalan: toca fusta (literally “touch wood”), toca ferro (literally “touch iron”)
• Cebuano: simbako (literally “I'll go to church (for)”)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 大吉利市 (yue), 大吉利是 (daai⁶ gat¹ lai⁶ si⁶, literally “lucky lucky”)

• Danish: 7-9-13 (syv-ni-tretten; while physically knocking under a table or on wood)
• Finnish: koputa puuta (literally “knock on wood”)
• French: touchons du bois (literally “let's touch wood”)
• German: (dreimal) auf Holz klopfen (de) (literally “knock (three times) on wood”)
• Greek: χτύπα ξύλο (chtýpa xýlo, literally “knock on wood”)
• Hungarian: lekopogom
• Indonesian: amit-amit
• Italian: tocca ferro (literally “touch iron”), tocchiamo ferro (literally “let's touch iron”)
• Japanese: 桑原桑原 (くわばらくわばら, kuwabara kuwabara, literally “mulberry field mulberry field”)
• Malay: choi
• Norwegian Nynorsk: bank i bordet (literally “knock on the table”), tvi tvi
• Persian: بزن به تخته (bezan be taxta, literally “knock on the table”), چشم بد دور (češm-e bad dur, literally “far [be] the evil eye”)
• Russian: тьфу-тьфу-тьфу (tʹfu-tʹfu-tʹfu), тьфу-тьфу (tʹfu-tʹfu)
• Spanish: toca madera (literally “touch wood”)
• Swedish: peppar, peppar, ta i trä (sv) (literally “pepper, pepper, grip wood”), peppar peppar (literally “pepper pepper”)
• Turkish: tahtaya vur (literally “knock on wood”)

See also

• burn bread