<P> In the time of Ancient Greece, people didn't clap . Instead, they stomped for their appreciation and if they stomped long enough, they would break a leg . Or, some would have it that the term originated during Elizabethan times when, instead of applause the audience would bang their chairs on the ground--and if they liked it enough, the leg of the chair would break . </P> <P> Some etymologists believe it to be an adaptation from the Yiddish translation into German . The phrase "Hatsloche un Broche" (הצלחה און ברכה) ("success and blessing") had been calqued from the German phrase "Hals - und Beinbruch" ("neck and leg fracture"), because of its similar pronunciation . The autobiography of Manfred von Richthofen records pilots of the German air force during the First World War as using the phrase "Hals - und Beinbruch" (neck and leg fracture) to wish each other luck before a flight . The phrase is now most typically used to wish an actor good luck before a performance, or a student good luck before an exam . </P> <P> One popular, but false, etymology derives the phrase from the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln . The story goes that John Wilkes Booth, the actor turned assassin, claimed in his diary that he broke his leg leaping to the stage of Ford's Theatre after murdering the President . While Booth's roles as an actor are not well remembered, wishing an actor to "break a leg" is to wish them a performance worthy of remembrance . However, the fact that actors did not start wishing each other to "break a leg" until the 1920s (more than 50 years later) makes this an unlikely source . Furthermore the phrase has distinct origins in other languages that well predate the late 19th century . Also, some historians contend that he broke his leg when he fell from his horse trying to escape . They also cite that Booth often exaggerated and falsified his diary entries to make them more dramatic . </P> <P> There are many non-literal references this expression could be referring to . </P>

Where did the expression break a leg originate