"Toi toi toi" (English: /ˈtɔɪˈtɔɪˈtɔɪ/)[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]
Origin
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 Rotwelschtof and from Yiddishtov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German tiuvel "Devil.")[5]
Spitting idea
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]
^Urdang, Laurence; Hunsinger, Walter W.; LaRoche, Nancy (1985). Picturesque Expressions: A thematic dictionary (2 ed.). Gale Research. p. 321. ISBN0-8103-1606-4.
^McConnell, Joan; McConnell, Teena (1977). Ballet as body language. Harper & Row. ISBN0-06-012964-6.