break a leg

1. Fracture one or more leg bones, as in She fell down the stairs and broke her leg in two places. [c. a.d. 1000]

2. 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]

break a leg

Used to wish someone, such as an actor, success in a performance.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Suibne	-	Irish
Artemidoros	-	Ancient Greek
Denzel	den-ZEL	English (Modern)
Daria	DAHR-yah (Italian, Polish, Romanian), DAHR-ee-ə (English), DER-ee-ə (English), DAR-ee-ə (English)	Italian, Polish, Romanian, English, Croatian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Sky	SKIE	English (Modern)
Ebbe	EB-be (Swedish), E-bə (German)	Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German (Rare)