Fingers crossed!
Hello, one and all!
At long last, the rain has stopped tipping down and the sky is now blue again. You all did really well guessing the meanings of those words related to weather, and I should say a special ‘well done!’ to Melissa, who got all of them correct.
Here are the answers:
1) It’s boiling = it’s extremely hot
2) Nice weather for ducks! = it's raining really hard, so hard in fact that there are puddles on the ground
3) Brrr! It’s a bit parky today! = It’s quite cold.
4) It’s bucketing down! = it’s raining very heavily
5) It’s close = it’s hot and humid
Thanks also for all your descriptions of revolting food. I don’t think my stomach can stand any more, so let’s move on to a new topic.
Today, I want to talk about superstitions. Manas from India asked me when we can use the phrase ‘touch wood’ and when we can use the phrase ‘keep your fingers crossed’.
You say ‘keep your fingers crossed’ when you are hoping for the best, and want good luck, e.g.
I’ve got my final exam tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
You can also simply say: ‘Fingers crossed!’
‘Touch wood’ is slightly different. You use ‘touch wood’ if you have said something slightly boastful, or if you have been talking about how good life is, e.g.:
I haven’t been sick for two years, touch wood.
Why do we say this? Well, some people think that if you talk too much about how great life is, it’s tempting fate – you’re asking for something bad to happen. So to avoid bad luck, you say ‘touch wood’ and you’ll usually try to touch something made out of wood at the same time, as you say it. I’m not a very superstitious person, but I do always say ‘touch wood’ if I have said something about how fortunate I’ve been. Sometimes it’s difficult to find something wooden to touch at the same time, so I usually tap the head of my fella, Richard. ;->
Years and years ago, some people (Druids, maybe?) used to believe that touching anything wooden would offer you protection, because trees were inhabited by kind spirits. We don’t really believe that these days, but the superstition about touching wood for good luck has remained.
Another phrase you might hear about superstitions is: ‘Your ears will be burning!’. You would say this to someone if you thought another person was talking about them. Superstition says that if your right ear burns (feels hot and goes red), someone you hate is talking about you. If your left ear burns, someone you love is talking about you.
And of course, we have plenty of superstitions about money. For example, if the palm of your right hand begins to itch, it means you’re going to receive some money. If it’s your left palm, you’re going to lose some money.
What superstitions do you believe in?
Of course, we have loads of other superstitions in the UK. Here are just a few – do you know whether they’re lucky or unlucky?
1) A horseshoe
2) Opening an umbrella whilst indoors
3) A new pair of shoes on the table
4) A black cat crossing your path
5) Breaking a mirror
Stay lucky!
Jo
Vocabulary
one and all – a slightly theatrical way of saying ‘everyone’.
at long last -- finally.
tipping down – raining very heavily.
A puddle is a pool of water.
revolting – vile, disgusting
superstition – a belief that something will bring good or bad luck
boastful – the adjective related to the verb ‘to boast’, which means ‘to talk about one’s achievements with pride’.
If you tempt fate, you encourage bad luck.
tap – to hit very gently
fella – the slang version of ‘fellow’ (man). You’ll hear women describe their husbands/boyfriends as ‘my fella’. It’s another term of affection.
spirit – the supernatural, ghost-like part of a person (not their physical body).
The palm of your hand is the inner surface of your hand (where all the lines are), between your fingers and your wrist.
Answers to your comments
Fulvio – I think you win the prize for the vilest dish. Squashing worms and eating them sounds truly revolting. I think I would prefer just the cheese, without the worms.
Ana Paula – I was interested to read you do a BodyCombat class. I do a class called BodyPump. Are you an expert kick-boxer? Also, you can say ‘I think this book is interesting’ or ‘I find this book interesting’.
Tomo – are you in Kyoto?
Pary – You can find out more about Druids (and see a photo of them) here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series3/druids.shtml
Heinrich – most people stop for lunch at about midday in the UK, and if they’re lucky they’ll have a one-hour lunch break. The older generation does still sometimes have dinner really early – sometimes 5 o’clock! But younger people tend to eat later. Richard and I usually eat at around 7.30 to 8 p.m.
Wisarut – you can use the word ‘Yummy!’ to say you think something tastes good. You can also say ‘Mmmmm!’ if you think something is tasty.
Adil – I used the future tense: ‘I’ll never forget visiting Stonehenge at the age of eight’, because although the action (visiting Stonehenge) was in the past, the sense is in the future – I will never forget for the rest of my life, visiting Stonehenge.
Ruth – I’m glad to be of help.
Muhammad Asim Munir – apostrophe + s can be used with nouns (not just living things) to show possession:
The book’s last page.
Pakistan’s capital.
Naheed’s drawing.
Apostrophe + s is the more common version, while ‘of’ can sometimes sound a bit formal.
Directions are usually lower case when they refer to a compass point: Naheed’s window faces east, but upper case when they refer to a region: Japan is in the Far East.
Paul – there’s not much difference in meaning between ‘the biggest challenge is caused by divorce’ and ‘the biggest challenge has been caused by divorce’. You could argue that the first one gives a more immediate feel (divorces are still happening) while the second one is slightly removed (divorces may or may not still be happening).
Comments
I'm not an expert of superstitions because I usually don't believe of all ways to say when a person is lucky or unlucke. However I try doing the homework: 1) a horseshoe: very lucky (may be because there are so few horses around !) 2)opening an umbrella whilst indoors : unlucky 3)A new pair of shoes on the table. I don't know 4)A black cat crossing your path: unlucky, but in my case I enjoy animals and I feel lucky if a black cat crosses the road 5) Breaking a mirror: unlucky (because small pieces of glass are very dangerous. In Italy we have some other superstitions as: a)spreading salt on the table: unlucky b)walking under a ladder: unlucky c)stepping on shit: lucky ... bye, I hope writing you soon
Hi Jo!!! Really!!! How nice to know that you do BodyPump. I´ve tried once, but this BodySistem modality isn´t available in my health club. In answering to your question, no, I´m not a kick boxer expert( what a pit, I´d like to be one!!). I´ve started to do Combat, because I´ve had to drop to do Judo. So, I needed to find some activity related to marcial arts that substituded Judo. Therefore, I´ve been doing BodyCombat for two years, and it has been really good Jo. Actually, I love it! I´m very keen to marcial arts. So, if you have the chance try it. You will love it too! I also do BodyStep and BodyBalance, which are really amazing. Have you ever heard or done one of them? Well, let me try my luck in this homework :-): 1-lucky;2-unlucky;3-lucky;4-unlucky;5-unlucky. Ah! Just one more thing Jo. Why did you use do BodyCombat class instead practice BodyCombat class? PS- Thank you for answering my question about find/think. Good night, Ana Paula.
Dear Jo, Hurray,you are one of my top friends on Facebook. It's raining cats and dogs now.We have one similar superstition about money.If you have got the twitching of your left eyelid, you're going to receive some money;if your right eyelid twitching, you are going to lose money.I don't really believe those superstitions,especially ridiculous ones.Anyway, it's funny to have them as seasoning in life.Jo, i need your help for I read 'the school for scandal'by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.what's the meaning of 'the malice of a good thing is the barb that makes it stick'?Best wish!
Supertitions and Religions are all the same they doesn't matter to me. In both you have to believe what other have said. I don't need any of them. About the superstition you have written down, all of them mean bad luck except a horseshoe. Have a nice day
Hello Jo, :-), thanks a lot, now exactly I know what it means and how to use it. I kind of say, I aquired expertise in using these two phrases, touch wood. (did I make a sense here by using touch wood?, well, I keep my finger crossed...:)). While using touch wood, I had wooden table, so I didn't have to make efforts to find wood...;), but Jo, I hope, everytime you use this 'touch wood', you find a wood, otherwise, poor Richard, will have lots of tapping on his head... :). Anyways, I don't know about the instances you mentioned, are considered lucky or unlucky in UK, but I will tell you, what it means in part of India I am coming from, like (1) A horseshoe = considered to be very lucky and kept on door step to avoid bad luck or evil spirit to enter. (2) Opening an umbrella whilst indoors = 'no-idea' (3) A new pair of shoes on the table = 'no-idea' (4) A black cat crossing your path = highly lucky, people find solution, like going 10 steps backwards when they see black cat crossing their ways, Jo, don't tell this to Smokey, she will be hurt. (5) Breaking a mirror = highly unlucky, people don't keep broken mirror in house, as they think, it will break or bring bad luck to thier fate. Jo, these superstitions are contagious, aren't they?, now you will tell what it means in UK, and I am sure, many of us, keeping that in mind, at some point, will believe it, just for sake of why to take a risk...? :-). But that's okay, I am waiting to know what it means in UK... Cheers, Manas
Hello Jo, nice talking to you again. Your blogs are great. Let me try to guess some of the superstitions you mentioned: 1) A horseshoe -----good luck 2) Opening an umbrella whilst indoors ----- bad luck 3) A new pair of shoes on the table ------ bad luck (not sure) 4) A black cat crossing your path -----(bad luck) 5) Breaking a mirror -------- (seven years of bad luck- laugh) It seems there are more supertitions related to bad luck than to good luck. About the one you mentioned in the blog, the burning ear. I guess here we consider the right year good and the left year bad as opposed to what you consider there. Only we don't relate it to the person, but to whether they are saying good things or bad things about us. Finally, I'd like to ask you about the expression "quite". Does it mean a lot or a little? For example: If you say you have been studying for quite some time, does it mean you've been studying for a long time or for a short time. I've always thought that it meant a lot. But I think I heard somewhere somebody use it in the opposite way. Thank you again. See you.
Hi Jo, My rational side says I am not superstitious. My emotional one has probably some genes that have not yet been disconnected from traditions and ancient beliefs. Sometimes when thinks without explanation happens, I could connect them to the fate. Isn't that a kind of superstition ?
Dear Jo, Thank you very much for the prize...I don't deserve it at all!;) Anyway, here in Naples we have lots of superstitions (it seems that we are the most superstitious Italian city). For instance, asking someone to lend some salt is very bad luck! But... have you ever heard about the miracle of St. Gennaro (the patron saint of the city)? Twice a year he is supposed to transform his blood (wich is contained in a bowl kept in the main cathedral) from the solid state to the liquid one. If he doesn't do (...or make? please, help me with the correct verb) the miracle, it's very bad luck for the whole city! Can I also ask a question? Here in Italy we have fixed phrases which we use to aswer to someone who wishes us good luck. Do they exist in English? Thank you! Fulvio
Hello Jo,after reading the supertitions you’ve mentioned through your blog I figured out that the supertitions in UK are the same as the ones in Romania. And I’m sure that lots of superstitions are common in the whole world with none but slight differences. Here is an everyday scenario: someone wakes up in the morning lying face down (a bad day from the start!). It’s Friday 13!!! He enters the bathroom for washing, he’s slipping - and ohhh no! the mirror falls and breaks!! Excitedly, he leaves for work, but soon, when he gets outside apartment block, realises that he’s forgotten to take the car key. He turns back(ooops!) muttering and starts off towards the house. In the hall, just at the front door, a neighbour has perched atop the stairs and started to paint the ceiling. Damn it, he should walk under the stairs!! At long last, in the carpark, a shamless black cat crosses your path...!!!! Believe them or not these are the superstitions of the world we live in.Best whishes
Hi, Jo. Yes, you're right! The answer is Kyoto. It was easy, wasn't it? We have many superstitions in Japan as well. I follow some of them. 'To wear a pair of brand new shoes on for the first time in the afternoon is not good' and 'If you cut your nails at night, you can not see your parents on their deathbed', but I'm not superstitious, too. Here's my guesses. (1)lucky (2)unlucky (3)lucky (4)unlucky (5)unlucky I would try to find four-leaved clovers to be happier when I was a child. It was quite tough to find them among many three-leaved clovers. I often went home with disappointment. See you.
The same superstitions could be lucky or unlucky depending on the country. For example, when a black cat will croses your path, in England it's thought to be a good luck, but in Poland it's the very bad luck. I know people who aren't superstitious and, at the same time, try and avoid crossing the black-cat path. Because there are a lot of black cats in Poland, I prefer the English superstition, it makes me feel safer sometimes.
How have you been up to ? I hope you are full with a lot of foods in the previous topics. At this day and age people who believe in superstitions are bacically remain in every level Thai clan. I don't know why they trust, I don't know why they use in their life , I don't know why it must have . But the one thing that I keep in mine is concerning with the religious. As I say , every religious would like to people for doing a good habit . That means people prone to treat along normal life pertaining to their religious as in Thailand are also. Thus the beliefs in all countries relfect their religious and activity at this stage. For example Thai people who believe in Budda generally go to temples for making merits : leaving fish , growing forest,giving money to homeless people and so forth. When they feel confuse and unhappy,they have to find the thing that they can count on. It is called religious. Do you like making a merit ? Would it is OK, if you talk about making merit? Please keep me pose. < Wisarut S> See you around....
Hi, Jo We have another superstition about someone speaking of you. if you sneeze once, someone is talking bad things about you. if you sneeze twice, someone is talking good things about you. and if it is more than three times, you really have a cold.
Hi Jo, Namaskar, Yes of course, in our Nepalese society has many superstitions like: We believe that 8 & 12 are unlucky number, If we see empty pot at the time of going out, it is unlucky and vice versa; If we heard crow sound (crying) early in the morning, it could be good or bad message because we believe that crow is a messenger of god; If we saw on the dream someone has died, s/he will live more. Could you please tell me about the verb position in the if sentences? verb position means tense of verb. Thank you for your kind support.
hello,Jo.In terms of superstitions,i think there maybe a lot of in china.but just like you i am not a really superstitious person,so i know little.but one i know clearly is when the left of your eye-lid beated you must have sth bad to happen,so you should be carefull the whole day,when you feel the right of your eye-lid beated you will have sth good to happen.these are a little like the superstitions of "your ears will be burning" in your country.but i don't believe that i think if your eye-lids beated you must haven't got a good sleep last night.in china some people will put a small piece of paper on their eye-lids to avoid the bad luck.
Hi to everybody!! It's the second day I've been reading this learning English blog and must say this is absolutely amazing!! Thanks BBC for giving people from ALL OVER THE WORLD an opportunity to improve their English and have fun meeting new people and learning new things. Jo, my question is about the vocabulary after each post - are all the phrases and idioms commonly used in all english-speaking countries or only in Britain? Thanks.
Hello, Jo. I just wanted to ask you when the noun superstition is countable and when uncountable.You used it in the plural 'superstitions' and singular, but then again you used it without an article, beginning the sentence like this "Superstition says that if your right ear burns..." Would you put one of two examples for easy understanding, please? Thank you. I'm waiting your answer and I'm enjoying myself reading your blog.
this is my first visit here,its really great and the best place to improve my english
posted by Delza Santana from Brasil Hello,jo.I have learning a lot with you guys. Here in Brasil when we let the doors of the wardrobe oppened we better close it if not we will have bad luck. u close it if not will have bad luck.
posted by Delza santana deliveira. This is my first visit here,its really nice when we have friends from different places and talk about supestitions .
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