The shelf / Luck / French
FRENCH
Merde !
(One word. Excuse my French.)
MEANS
Good luck. Said to actors before they go on stage.
Don't say thank you
In Italian you answer “May the wolf die!”, because saying thanks is held to bring bad luck. In Russian you answer “To the devil!”.
Source: Linternaute, theatre sources.
On the label: Break a leg
Watch it
The film: “M*rde. He was wished good luck four times today”
Watch on YouTubeAlso on Instagram and TikTok.
The same idea, elsewhere
From “Break a leg” to French.
ENGLISHBreak a leg.The one you know.Theatre slang since the 1920s (Wikipedia).
GERMANHals- und Beinbruch!“Neck and leg fracture!”Duden.
ITALIANIn bocca al lupo!“Into the wolf's mouth!”Accademia della Crusca. A hunters' wish.
RUSSIANНи пуха ни пера!“Neither fur nor feather!”Fedorov, Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language.
FRENCHMerde !(One word.)Linternaute, theatre sources.