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Break a Leg

Break a Leg

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Break a Leg--man on hospital bed with foot wrapped and propped upNo one wants to break a leg or any other body part. Just ask our worship pastor. He has spent months in pain from a broken foot. His injuries have required surgeries, casts, boots, and a wheelchair. He has also endured a walker, cane, crutches, and numerous therapy sessions.

With that in mind, why do people tell others to break a leg? The expression sounds cruel.

Break a leg means to wish people good luck.

It offers encouragement, especially to performers on opening night. The speaker hopes the actors bring down the house.

Some believe wishing actors good luck causes bad luck. Therefore, they say the opposite of what they mean. The Phrase Finder offers several possible origins for this superstition.

Although they understand the idiom, some people choose not to use it.

Not everyone understands the meaning, so it could result in hurt feelings. However, others use the expression as a fun tradition. If necessary, they explain what they mean.

Prayer offers a better alternative.

Whether a person says to break a leg or not, prayer remains the greatest gift. Prayer does not rely on superstition. It also removes the need for worry. As my friend Marian Woosley often said, “Why worry when we can pray?” True for actors. True for everyone.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony” (Psalm 6:2 NIV).

Thanks to Candyce Carden for the suggestion and to Katherine Bonds for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Bring Down the House

Bring Down the House

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Bring Down the House-cast of Once Upon a MattressUniversity and community plays often bring down the house. Audiences love local drama and give frequent standing ovations.

Actors have a great time too, as we see with this Campbellsville University cast.

Entertainers bring down the house when the audience claps, stands, or cheers for a long time.

 The greater the approval, the longer the ovation. Comedies bring down the house with laughter.

According to The Free Dictionary, “The term comes from the mid-eighteenth-century theater.” It implied noise loud enough to endanger a house. Back then, if audiences did not laugh or clap at a joke, comedians would say, “Don’t clap so hard; you’ll bring the house down (it’s a very old house).”

Real life rarely brings down the house.

We don’t receive applause for activities such as:

  • Cleaning
  • Going to work
  • Cooking
  • Mowing
  • Caring for family needs

However, all that work needs to be done – over and over again.

Keeping up the good work means far more than bringing down the house.

May we always prove worth our salt, whether we receive praise or not.

  • Faithfully follow God’s call.
  • Work well.
  • Serve others.
  • Live the best life possible.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” (Galatians 1:10 NIV).

Thanks to Jane Ashley Pace for the suggestion and to Ariel C. Emberton for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

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