<Li> In Iran, "Bezanam be Tachte بزنم به تخته" (knock on wood), when one says something good about something or somebody, he / she will knock on the wood, saying "bezan - am be takhteh, cheshm nakhoreh" ((I) am knocking on the wood, to prevent - it, he, or she - from being jinxed). Evil eye, and being jinxed is a common phobia and superstitious belief in Iranian culture . Iranians traditionally believe knocking on the wood wards off evil spirits . </Li> <Li> In Egypt, "Emsek El Khashab إمسك الخشب" (Hold the wood), people say it when mention good luck that you have had in the past or when you mention hopes you have for the future . The expression is usually used in the hope that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged . And to prevent envy . </Li> <Li> In old English folklore, "knocking on wood" also referred to when people spoke of secrets--they went into the isolated woods to talk privately and "knocked" on the trees when they were talking to hide their communication from evil spirits who would be unable to hear when they knocked . Another version holds that the act of knocking was to perk up the spirits to make them work in the requester's favor . Yet another version holds that a sect of Monks who wore large wooden crosses around their necks would tap or "knock" on them to ward away evil . </Li> <Li> In Romania, there is also a superstition that one can avoid bad things aforementioned by literally knocking on wood ("a bate în lemn"). Wood tables are exempted . One of the possible reasons could be that there is a monastery practice to call people to pray by playing / knocking the simantron . </Li>

Where does phrase knock on wood come from