Czech translation - Break a leg

Hi All,

How would you translate in Czech "Break a leg" ? When you want to wish good luck / All the best to someone before an exam ?

Thanks
Olivier

 

Zlom vaz! (literally means break your neck - but is, i believe' the equivalent of break a leg)

 

It's very very interesting!! Why do you use such expressions? I mean, "Break a leg" and "Zlom vaz!" look not so friendly!

Here in Italy a colorful way to say "good luck" is "in bocca al lupo!" that is "(go in) to the wolf's mouth!", that's not so friendly too, but.....there's a reason: the other person has to reply "crepi!!" that is "that the wolf die!!".

So, do you have too a "standard" reply for those marvellous wishes or not?? :wink:

Really, a friend of mine immediately thought about a possible reply for "break a leg" when I told him about this topic, but it's better not to mention it....it's a typical "italian" reply, so I don't want you say: "Italians, as usual!"

 

Thanks Meluzina !

 

ahaaaaaaa - so that is why the wolf is now protected in italy??? actually, it is interesting why certain expressions are used - why wolf?? i though wolf was respected from the romus and remulus legend

just thought of another one: in english, when you make a bigger issue out of something than it should be you "make a mountain out of a molehill" - in czech you "děláš velblouda z komára" "literally a camel out of a mosquito" - what do you do in italian?

(sorry for getting off topic)

 

Maybe....I think that many many wolves died for this reason! So now it's a protected animal! Really I don't use to reply with the expression "crepi" because I'm pro-environment!

You're right, the wolf is a high-respected animal here, but in the past was also a high-feared animal: in many of our tales the most dangerous wild animal is the wolf....so to be catched by the wolf is the worst event you could experience, but if the wolf suddenly die just while is devouring you....it's a big big big luck!! That's why the idiom.

We say exactly like in english: "fare di un cumulo di terra una montagna"

I guess you know this proverb: Lež má krátké nohy...., in italian it's the same, ale vis proc se rika? Maybe I think we really need to open another post on proverbs and idioms! :wink:

 

Full version is: "Lež má krátké nohy a pravdě neujde" - Lie has a short legs and it cannot outrun truth.

 

Here's a link to Wikipedia's article on "Break a leg." In short, there seem to be a lot of theories as to why this is said, but no one really knows, other than the fact that wishing an actor "good luck" in the theatre is for some odd reason considered bad luck.

 

There was a widespread superstition that wishing someone good luck brings bad luck. That is why we wish the opposite.

 

Hmm. Sova was faster. I spent too much time for selecting the proper synonyms for "štěstí" and "smůla". Finally I ended up with ordinary "good luck" and "bad luck".

 

You're right, guys! In Italy you can say also:
Auguri! ("the best wishes")
Buona fortuna! ("Good luck")

but, due to superstition, some people consider them as "bad luck"

So, the only whish that anyone accept with a smile is "in bocca al lupo" (even though it's popular), the bad one!

However I think that the italians accept it because they can reply with "crepi!", so they feel more safe..... I'm not so sure they would accept your "Zlom vaz!" without replying :wink:

 

The french equivalent is basically "merde"... that's how we wish good luck !! How classy is that !!!

 

another way of wishing luck is to say "budu ti držet palce" (literally, "i'll hold my thumbs for you" - used in the same sense as americans say "keep fingers crossed")

 

Possible reply is "Tfuj, tfuj!" as symbolic spitting 8) 8)

 

So you're saying that general Cambronne, in the Waterloo battle,.......was wishing "all the best" to the english soldiers, as they asked him for surrending?? :shock:

When I learned about this event, I thought that he would kindly refuse their request!! :lol: :lol:

Maybe it has been a gigantic historical misunderstanding!!! :wink:

 

Or "knock on wood," although I can't seem to remember how the Czechs say it.

 

Zaklepat to na dřevo.

 

"Zaklepat to na dřevo" has slightly different meaning: It is used on the occasion when you say something optimistic and don't want this optimistic expectation to mar the future.
E.g.
You say "I hope the weather tomorrow will be fine" and at the same time you really look for the wood to knock ("zaklepat to na dřevo").
It's reasoning is that the optimismus may do wrong to the future and the knocking is a magic act to cancel this influence. 8)

 

That's the same meaning in the states. I've never heard someone use it to wish someone good luck. It's exactly how you said Karel.

 

Yes, you're right of course. "Knock on wood" is a more impersonal expression, in the sense of hoping things (by chance) turn out well, rather than wishing someone to perform well. And thanks for refreshing my memory with the translation, eso.