Break-a-leg
break a leg
Fracture one or more leg bones, as in She fell down the stairs and broke her leg in two places. [ c. a.d. 1000 ]
Good luck! as in Play well, Rob—break a leg! The origin of this imperative to a performer about to go onstage is unclear; it may have been a translation of the German Hals und Beinbruch (“Break your neck and leg”), also of unknown origin. Equally mysterious is the Italian equivalent, In bocca di lupe, “Into the mouth of the wolf.” [ c. 1900 ]
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- Break-a-sweat
break a sweat
- Break-and-entry
breaking and entering.
- Break--away
to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments: He broke a vase. to infringe, ignore, or act contrary to (a law, rule, promise, etc.): She broke her promise. to dissolve or annul (often followed by off): to break off friendly relations with another country. to fracture a bone of (some […]
- Breakaway
an act or instance of breaking away; secession; separation: the breakaway of two provinces from a state. a departure or break from routine or tradition: a three-day breakaway in the Bahamas. a person or thing that breaks away. an object, as a theatrical prop, constructed so that it breaks or falls apart easily, especially upon […]
- Back
the rear part of the human body, extending from the neck to the lower end of the spine. the part of the body of animals corresponding to the human back. the rear portion of any part of the body: the back of the head. the whole body, with reference to clothing: the clothes on his […]