Idiom
burn bread
Meaning
To cause something unfortunate to happen to (someone) by mentioning it; to jinx something for (someone).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't talk about the promotion yet, or you might burn bread.”
“I was going to tell everyone about my new job, but I did not want to burn bread for myself before the contract was signed.”
“He remained silent about his upcoming travel plans, fearing that speaking too soon would burn bread and invite unforeseen obstacles to his journey.”
Examples
simple
“Don't talk about the promotion yet, or you might burn bread.”
contextual
“I was going to tell everyone about my new job, but I did not want to burn bread for myself before the contract was signed.”
complex
“He remained silent about his upcoming travel plans, fearing that speaking too soon would burn bread and invite unforeseen obstacles to his journey.”
Origin
From the folkloric association that charred or burnt bread serves as a harbinger of ill fortune or a general indication of unfortunate events to come.
Key words
Related idioms
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