Knocking on Wood?!
Question: Ok this is kind of a petty annoyance, but I am getting annoyed at hearing people talk, and then all of a sudden the phrase "knock on wood" comes out. What in the blue name of blue does "knock on wood" mean? I mean it sounds like the person is randomly talking about ANYTHING! Why do people say it and why should I? Is it just a fad? Or was there a major lesson in English I missed? What is up with knocking on wood?
Answers: Ok this is kind of a petty annoyance, but I am getting annoyed at hearing people talk, and then all of a sudden the phrase "knock on wood" comes out. What in the blue name of blue does "knock on wood" mean? I mean it sounds like the person is randomly talking about ANYTHING! Why do people say it and why should I? Is it just a fad? Or was there a major lesson in English I missed? What is up with knocking on wood?
LOL! knock on wood is a term that people use...like a superstition...like if i said,
"i have never gotten that type of illness before"
i would usually say "knock on wood" because i dnt wanna jynx myself and become sick with the same thing
its just a superstition, lol, i asked the same thing a way while back
Knocking on wood, and the spoken expression "knock on wood" or "touch wood" are used as a charm to bring good luck or to avoid "tempting fate" after making some boast or speaking of one's own death.
The expression is usually used in the hope that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged. So, for example, one might say: "The rain looks like holding off, touch wood", or "Knock on wood, I'm much better now."
long time ago certain people thought god lived in trees, and if you wanted good luck you had to knock on the wood of the tree. If someone was talking about insurance or something, and they said "If I ever get into an accident, knock on wood." And then they knock on wood, they are preventing themselves form getting into an accident. it's kind of like jinxing yourself, then un-jinxing yourself
a token saying to act act as good luck talisman
actually i heard it came from the old belief that the gods lived in trees, when someone needed a favor or something they would rap on the tree to call them.. same as the superstition of breaking a mirror was the gods lived in the mirror and when you broke it it rendered them homeless, so they cursed you
i think it has to do with ventriliquists and when they talk their jaw is made of wood. Very bad ventriliquists had both their mouth moving and the dummy's mouth moving. So if they move at the same time you get jynxed with idk what its called...i'll call it "ventriliquist syndrom" So if he got caught moving his mouth he'd "knock on wood" to the dummy to break the curse.... idk really, but that would be a cool explanation lol
Its a superstitious thing, if you say something bad like i hope we don't get pullover then someone says knock on wood so it doesn't happen. Has something to do with the pagan belief that there are spirits or gods in the wood and knocking satsfies them.
If you are asking then obiously you are not American. Don't woory about it and try to get on with your life.
god knows
It's a superstition sort of thing.