Have you seen the phrase 'break a leg' somewhere on the internet or in a text and would like to know more about what it means? The phrase 'break a leg' is figurative, and has specific associations with luck and stage performance. This post unpacks the meaning, origin and use of the saying.
Meaning
The phrase 'break a leg' is a type of figurative saying in the English language, usually one that has associations with luck or stage performance.
When someone says 'break a leg' the phrase is used to say the same thing as 'good luck' before an event or occasion.
The phrase 'break a leg' does not literally mean that someone should break a leg, but just implies that it should go well with the event that is said or implied.
The saying has associations with stage performance, but this is not always the case and the phrase can be applied to any event for which luck would be assumed necessary by the speaker.
The phrase is usually said from one person to another, with the first person implying good luck to the second.
Sometimes the saying can be used with sarcastic implications or as an insult, though this would be made clear by the context of the conversation.
The phrase is typically said only in one form, and there is no denial phrase for the common saying – and it is not typically said as 'break legs' but still remains as 'break a leg' even when it might reference several people.
Example Usage
“I know you're going to do great at the baseball game tomorrow for all the work you and the rest of the team put into it. Break a leg.”
“If you think about it for a minute, you'll remember that I told you to divorce her before the two of you even got married. Break a leg in court tomorrow, son.”
“Good luck with the performance of The Scottish Play tomorrow, kids. Break a leg, and I don't mean that literally.”
“There's no need to worry about how you're going to do tomorrow. You know how to play the solo just fine. You'll break a leg.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase 'break a leg' is not clear according to most online language resources, though the most common theory about the expression is that it could have come from a phrase that originated in German.
The German phrase 'Hals und Beinbruch' is a phrase that translates almost directly to the saying 'break a leg', and it was already a common saying in German by the 1800s.
With stage performances of the late 1800s to early 1900s, the phrase 'break a leg' began to appear in popular media and as a speaking term. Most 1900s dictionaries already record the phrase as a common English saying.
The phrase appears on the website Urban Dictionary from 2011.
Phrases Similar to Break a Leg
- Live long and prosper
Phrases Opposite to Break a Leg
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- Break a leg
- [you should] break a leg
Ways People May Say Break a Leg Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'break a leg' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the meaning of the saying.
The phrase 'break a leg' can be understood in the wrong context, where the phrase is misunderstood as literal instead of figurative: meaning to break a leg instead of to break a leg.
Sometimes the phrase is misheard or misused as 'break a lead' which it is not.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Break a Leg
There are several correct ways in which someone can use the phrase 'break a leg' to say the same as 'good luck' to someone.
'Break a leg' is an acceptable phrase whether referring to one person or several.