A superstitious person believes in stories or traditions that have no explanation. Here are a few common superstitions you’ll hear in English:
- knock on wood (by knocking on wood, you prevent something bad from happening when you’ve just mentioned
something good)
“So far I’ve done really well on each of my biology exams…knock on wood.”
- jinx (Very similar to ‘knock on wood’)
“What a nice day for our hike…and not a cloud in the sky!”
“Don’t jinx us! Now it’ll rain for sure!”
- beginner’s luck (A person does well on their first try)
“Adam’s won almost $200 in his card game, and he’s never even played before. Amazing!”
“Oh, I bet it’s just beginner’s luck. Just wait.”
- bad luck comes in threes
“First my alarm didn’t go off this morning, then I spilled coffee on myself and now I’ve missed the bus home. Like they say, bad luck comes in threes…”
- 13 (The number is thought to be unlucky)
“Did you know that many American elevators go from the 12th floor to the 14th, and skip over the 13th? It’s thought that the 13th floor would be too unlucky!”
In your own words…
Tell us about some of the superstitions in your country. Are they very similar to these?
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