MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why do we tell actors to “break a leg”?

Women bowing on stage after a concert under bright spotlights

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why do we tell actors to “break a leg”?

You’ve probably said it to anyone walking out to perform on a stage… “break a leg!” But why are we wishing this awful harm as a form of good luck?

Turns out the term has nothing to do with physical harm at all. It goes back to the old days of stage performing crossing the “leg line” to perform and make a paycheck. If you were behind the “leg line” you were basically a backup or understudy who wasn’t getting paid to perform. So the term was created as a way to wish people luck on getting into the show and making money by “breaking the leg line”

Break a leg!

 

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