Why Do We Tell Actors To Break A Leg
Olivia Luz
Break a leg is sourced in superstition.
The term break a leg may be traced back to the elizabethan language. To break a leg in shakespeare s time meant literally to bow by bending at the knee. For today s joke rock t asks why do we tell actors to break a leg check out the audio player above to hear more in this exclusive funny clip from the rickey smiley morning show. Why do we tell actors to break a leg.
Break a leg can be traced back to 1920s british theatre the choice of break a leg may have come about as part of a theatre in joke where apprentice actors would jokingly tell established. There are many explanations and no definitive agreement including a reference to how an actor traditionally takes a bow during the curtain call but my favorite is as follows. Because every play has a cast. Break a leg is a typical english idiom used in theatre to wish a performer good luck an ironic or non literal saying of uncertain origin a dead metaphor break a leg is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform likely first used in this context in the united states in the 1930s or possibly 1920s originally documented without specifically theatrical.
People say break a leg before a performance because they want your performance to be so good that you could do what that actor did and metaphorically come right up to the edge safe knowing that the audience enjoyed your performance so much that they wouldn t harm you. Click to email this to a friend opens in new window click to print opens in new window click to share on facebook opens in new window click to share on twitter opens in new window. Why do we tell actors to break a leg. It was once common for people to believe in sprites.
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It is a wish of good luck but the words wish just the opposite. In the us uk and some other english speaking countries we say break a leg the reason why we say that is uncertain. Because every play has a cast. According to that inestimable collector of etymological gems eric partridge break a leg was used in around 1670 to mean to give birth to a bastard child.Source : pinterest.com