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Toi Toi Toi
"Toi toi toi" () 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. Origin There are many theories as to the origin of ''Toi toi toi'' as an idiom. In folklore it was used to ward off a spell or hex, often accompanied by knocking on wood or spitting. One origin theory sees "toi toi toi" as the onomatopoeic rendition of spitting three times, a common practice in many parts of the world to ward off evil spirits. Saliva traditionally had demon-banishing powers. Another theory claims the origin to be a threefold warning of the devil (Teufel, pronounced as TOY-fell) in German (n.b. not the French "toi"). Also from Rotwelsch ''tof'' and from Yiddish ''tov'' ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German ''tiuvel'' "Devil"). Similar expressions An alternate operatic good luck charm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Break A Leg
"Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor), "break a leg" is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition. Though the term likely originates in German, the English expression is first attributed in the 1930s or possibly 1920s, originally documented without specifically theatrical associations. Among professional dancers, the traditional saying is not "break a leg", but the French word "''merde''". Non-theatrical origins Yiddish-German pun theory Most commonly favored as a credible theory by etymologists and other scholars,Partridge, Eric (2003). ''A Dictionary of Catch Phrases''. Ukraine: Taylor & Francis. p. 56.Dundes, Alan (1994). Towards a Metaphorical Reading of 'Break a Leg': A Note on Folklore of the Stage. Western Folklore, 53(1), 85-89. doi:10.2307/1499654 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), literally "one who answers".''Hypokrites'' (related to our word for hypocrite) also means, less often, "to answer" the tragic chorus. See Weimann (1978, 2); see also Csapo and Slater, who offer translations of classical source material using the term ''hypocrisis'' ( acting) (1994, 257, 265–267). The actor's interpretation of a rolethe art of actingpertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. This can also be considered an "actor's role," which was called this due to scrolls being used in the theaters. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art. Formerly, in ancient Greece and the medieval world, and in England at the time of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opera Terminology
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since the early 19th century has been led by a conductor. Although musical theatre is closely related to opera, the two are considered to be distinct from one another. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition. Originally understood as an entirely sung piece, in contrast to a play with songs, opera has come to include numerous genres, including some that include spoken dialogue such as ''Singspiel'' and ''Opéra comique''. In traditional number opera, singers employ two styles of singing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience. The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, "a place for viewing"), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, "to see", "to watch", "to observe"). Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. Theatre artist Patr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spilling Water For Luck
Spilling water for luck is a folk custom in Armenia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other nearby countries. According to folk belief, spilling water behind the person who goes on a journey, or to do a job, will bring good luck, and is done so that the travel or the job will end happily. It is also practiced when going to school, on an exam, for a job interview, going into the army and the like. In the ethnology of the Balkan Peninsula countries, it is considered that spilled or running water symbolizes mobility and ease of movement, since it does not stop or get stuck, and so spilling of water is done so that the job someone started would go as smoothly as the spilled water. At the very act of spilling water in some areas it is said: "Let him go clean and clear as water." See also * Break a leg "Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knocking On Wood
Knocking on wood (also phrased touching wood) is an apotropaic tradition of literally touching, tapping, or knocking on wood, or merely stating that one is doing or intending to do so, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favorable prediction or boast, or a declaration concerning one's own death or another unfavorable situation. Origin A common explanation traces the phenomenon to ancient Celtic peoples, who believed it called on spirits or gods of the trees, while Christians tie the practice to the wood of the cross of crucifixion. A more modern theory from folklore researcher Steve Roud suggests it derives from a form of tag called "Tiggy Touchwood" in which players are safe from being tagged if they are touching wood. The British version of the phrase "touch wood" has been traced back as far as the 17th century. Similar traditions across the world * In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia there is also the habit of knocking on wood when sayi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merde
''Shit'' is a word considered to be vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun, it refers to fecal matter, and as a verb it means to defecate; in the plural ("the shits"), it means diarrhea. ''Shite'' is a common variant in British and Irish English. As a slang term, ''shit'' has many meanings, including: nonsense, foolishness, something of little value or quality, trivial and usually boastful or inaccurate talk or a contemptible person. It could also be used to refer to any other noun in general or as an expression of annoyance, surprise or anger. Etymology The word is likely derived from Old English, having the nouns ''scite'' (dung, attested only in place names) and ''scitte'' (diarrhoea) and the verb ''scītan'' (to defecate, attested only in ''bescītan'', to cover with excrement); eventually it morphed into Middle English ''schītte'' (excrement), ''schyt'' (diarrhoea) and ''shiten'' (to defecate), and it is virtually certain that it was used in some form by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin. An important distinction is to be drawn between the contexts of theatrical and participatory dance, although these two categories are not always completely separate; both may have special functions, whether social, ceremonial, competitive, erotic, martial, or sacred/ liturgical. Other forms of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, cheerleading, figure skating, synchronized swimming, marching bands, and many other forms of athletics. There are many professional athletes like, professional football players and soccer players, who take dance classes to help with their skills. To be more specific professional ath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Break A Leg
"Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor), "break a leg" is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition. Though the term likely originates in German, the English expression is first attributed in the 1930s or possibly 1920s, originally documented without specifically theatrical associations. Among professional dancers, the traditional saying is not "break a leg", but the French word "''merde''". Non-theatrical origins Yiddish-German pun theory Most commonly favored as a credible theory by etymologists and other scholars,Partridge, Eric (2003). ''A Dictionary of Catch Phrases''. Ukraine: Taylor & Francis. p. 56.Dundes, Alan (1994). Towards a Metaphorical Reading of 'Break a Leg': A Note on Folklore of the Stage. Western Folklore, 53(1), 85-89. doi:10.2307/1499654 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In Bocca Al Lupo
(; "into the wolf's mouth") is an Italian idiom originally used in opera and theatre to wish a performer good luck prior to a performance. The standard response is (; "may the wolf die") or, more commonly, simply ("may it die"). It has been proposed, for example by animal welfare activists, to instead reply with (IPA: iva il lu:po “may the wolf live”), but this is not a standard or common reply. Equivalent to the English actor's idiom "break a leg", the expression reflects a theatrical superstition in which wishing a person "good luck" is considered bad luck. The expression is commonly used in Italy off stage, as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use, and it can sometimes be heard outside of Italy. Origin Its use originated with hunters wishing each other to be in dangerous situations. The superstitious use of wishing a negative or dangerous situation as a way of wishing good luck is common in other languages. Indeed, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, amulets, astrology, fortune telling, spirits, and certain paranormal entities, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific (apparently) unrelated prior events. Also, the word ''superstition'' is often used to refer to a religion not practiced by the majority of a given society regardless of whether the prevailing religion contains alleged superstitions or to all religions by the antireligious. Contemporary use Definitions of the term vary, but commonly describe superstitions as irrational beliefs at odds with scientific knowledge of the world. Stuart Vyse proposes that a superstition's "presumed mechanism of action is inconsistent with our understanding of the physical w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy is also considered part of Western Europe, and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. Italy covers an area of , with a population of over 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome. Italy was the native place of many civilizations such as the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, while due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the country has also historicall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
