touch wood
Hopefully; said while touching something wooden, to avert superstitious bad luck from what has just been said.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I have not been sick all year, touch wood.”
“The project is going perfectly so far, touch wood, so we should finish on time.”
“Everything has proceeded according to our original plan, touch wood, and we expect the final results to be favorable.”
disputed origin
From a folk practice of unclear origin.
- 01
common touch
The personal quality of showing understanding of and sympathy for the concerns of ordinary people; rapport with and acceptance by ordinary people, usually in a celebrity or leader.
- 02
everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
- 03
everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
- 04
give someone wood
To cause someone to have an erection, usually due to sexual arousal.
- 05
golden touch
Synonym of Midas touch (“the ability to achieve financial reward (or, more generally, success) easily and consistently”).
- 06
human touch
The ability of a person to deal with others in a personable and empathetic way.
- 07
kick into touch
To evade an issue; to stop from happening.
- 08
knock on wood
To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted by a presumptuous statement.
Last updated August 10, 2026