Idiom
knock on wood
Meaning
To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted by a presumptuous statement.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I have never been sick, knock on wood.”
“I haven't lost my keys all year, knock on wood.”
“The project is going perfectly so far, knock on wood, so we should finish on time.”
“Our flight is still scheduled to depart on time, knock on wood, despite the heavy rain starting to fall outside.”
“The new heating system works much better than the old one, knock on wood, so we should stay warm all winter.”
“She mentioned that her car had never broken down during a long trip and, quickly knocking on wood, hoped her luck would hold for the journey ahead.”
Examples
simple
“I have never been sick, knock on wood.”
“I haven't lost my keys all year, knock on wood.”
contextual
“The project is going perfectly so far, knock on wood, so we should finish on time.”
“Our flight is still scheduled to depart on time, knock on wood, despite the heavy rain starting to fall outside.”
“The new heating system works much better than the old one, knock on wood, so we should stay warm all winter.”
complex
“She mentioned that her car had never broken down during a long trip and, quickly knocking on wood, hoped her luck would hold for the journey ahead.”
Origin
The phrase arises from a folk practice of unclear origin, lacking specific recorded dates or named progenitors in the historical record. Theories regarding its provenance typically suggest a connection to ancient beliefs in tree spirits or the protective qualities of timber, though the exact transition from superstitious gesture to linguistic idiom remains unproven.
Key words
Related idioms
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