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ESL forum >
Ask for help > British Superstitions
British Superstitions
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rmkovac
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I rememered one more: it �s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path... |
27 Feb 2010
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Pachy
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IN Spain, it �s also considered bad luck to walk under a ladder. What about in Britain? |
27 Feb 2010
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mushk@
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The same is about Britain. But what about black cats? Some sources say it is a good luck to meet a black cat, others say that a black cat crossing your way brings misfortunes. What shoul I think? May be any native speaker can explain the difference if there is one?
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27 Feb 2010
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SueThom
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I �ve always heard it was bad luck to have a black cat cross your path, so if you saw one up ahead of you, you changed the direction you were walking in.
Touching wood = good luck? Hadn �t heard that one, but if you talk about something bad not happening, you knock on wood so that it won �t. (e.g. "I �m sure the weather will be nice for our annual picnic this weekend, because it �s never rained on that day. Oops!" [knock, knock]
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28 Feb 2010
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eng789
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Opening an umbrella in-doors.
A black cat crossing your path.
- are considered bad luck.
For good luck - always enter a room with your right foot first.
- pull on your ear when you hear bad news. (so it won�t happen to you) |
28 Feb 2010
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roneydirt
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4 is bad luck in China. It sounds like the word death.
Now there were some good ones. There is some interesting history behind many of those good and bad luck items. I would suggest reading the history or precieved history behind them. Of course that is the amatuer historian in me. Let �s not forget about stepping on a crack, or when walking with friends splitting poles when walking with friends. (splitting poles means they allow the pole to go between the group as they are walking. Finding a penny (coin) bottom up is also old bad luck, suppose to throw it over your left shoulder to hit the devil in the eye, just like spilt salt. |
28 Feb 2010
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SueThom
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"Step on a crack, you break your mother �s back.
Step on a line, you break your mother �s spine."
That �s what I learned as a child, so we were always trying to avoid the cracks or lines in the sidewalk as we walked along.
And if you and someone else walked on opposite sides of a pole, you each had to say "bread and butter" or it meant you �d soon get into a fight/argument.
Oh, and seeing a penny on the ground:
"See a penny, pick it up,
All the day you �ll have good luck.
See a penny, leave it lay,
Bad luck will follow all the day."
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1 Mar 2010
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