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==Origin== |
==Origin== |
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''Toi toi toi'' was an idiom used to ward off a [[spell (paranormal)|spell]] or [[Curse|hex]], often accompanied by knocking on wood or spitting. The origin is a threefold warning of the devil (Teufel, pr. toi-fell) in German dialect: |
''Toi toi toi'' was an idiom used to ward off a [[spell (paranormal)|spell]] or [[Curse|hex]], often accompanied by [[knocking on wood]] or spitting. The origin is a threefold warning of the devil (Teufel, pr. toi-fell) in German dialect: |
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''No’ kommt mer in’s Teu-Teu-Teufelskuchen bey ihm. '''Now we come into the De-De-Devil's Kitchen!''''' |
''No’ kommt mer in’s Teu-Teu-Teufelskuchen bey ihm. '''Now we come into the De-De-Devil's Kitchen!''''' |
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"Toi toi toi" (English: /ˈtɔɪ ˈtɔɪ ˈtɔɪ/)[1] is an expression used in the performing arts to wish an artist success in an imminent performance. It is similar to "break a leg" and reflects a superstition that wishing someone "good luck" is in fact bad luck.[2][3][4]
Toi toi toi was an idiom used to ward off a spellorhex, often accompanied by knocking on wood or spitting. The origin is a threefold warning of the devil (Teufel, pr. toi-fell) in German dialect:
No’ kommt mer in’s Teu-Teu-Teufelskuchen bey ihm. Now we come into the De-De-Devil's Kitchen!
Also from Rotwelsch tof and from Yiddish tov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German tiuvel "Devil.")[5]
A separate explanation sees "toi toi toi" as the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times. Doing so over someone's head or shoulder allegedly warded off evil spirits. Saliva traditionally had demon-banishing powers. 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.[6]
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!" ("May he [the wolf] die"). Amongst actors "Break a leg" is the usual phrase, while for professional dancers the traditional saying is "merde". In Spanish, the phrase is "mucha mierda", or "lots of shit".[7][8][9]
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