<P> Professional dancers do not wish each other good luck by saying "break a leg"; instead they say "Merde!", the French word for "shit". In turn, theater people have picked up this usage and may wish each other "merde", alone or in combination with "break a leg". In Spanish, the phrase is "mucha mierda", or "lots of shit". This term refers to the times when carriages would take the audience to the theatre . A quick look to the street in front of the venue would tell if the play was successful: a lot of horse dung would mean many carriages had stopped to leave spectators . </P> <P> Opera singers use "Toi toi toi", an idiom used to ward off a spell or hex, often accompanied by knocking on wood, and onomatopoeic, spitting (or imitating the sound of spitting). Saliva traditionally had demon - banishing powers . From Rotwelsch tof, from Yiddish tov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German word for "Devil .") One explanation sees "toi toi toi" as the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times . Spitting three times over someone's head or shoulder is a gesture to ward off evil spirits . A similar - sounding expression for verbal spitting occurs in modern Hebrew as "Tfu, tfu" (here, only twice), which some say that Hebrew - speakers borrowed from Russian . </P> <P> An alternate operatic good luck charm, originating from Italy, is the phrase "in bocca al lupo!" ("In the mouth of the wolf") with the response "Crepi il lupo!" ("May the wolf die") (see Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Myth & Legend). </P> <P> In Australia, the term "chookas" has been used also . According to one oral tradition, one of the performers would check audience numbers . If there were not many in the seats, the performers would have bread to eat following the performance . If the theatre was full they could then have "chooks"--Australian slang for chicken--for dinner . Therefore, if it was a full house, the performer would call out "Chookas!" It is now used by performers prior to a show regardless of the number of patrons; and may be a wish for a successful turnout . </P>

Where does the saying break a leg come from