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Glite Dictionary
to touch wood

to touch wood

8.3
You say it to try to stop bad luck after saying something good
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : tocar madera
  • I (touch wood) have a healthy body, and I am grateful for that.

So let's fingers crossed touch wood that it stays like that.

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Examples

  • So let's fingers crossed touch wood that it stays like that.

    Sarahs Day

  • My job is going well, and touch wood, it stays that way.

  • And obviously I'm so relieved that it's not cancer touch wood at the moment.

    Emily Norris

  • I'm really amazed that, you know, and I'm really grateful touch wood that I'm in, you know, good health.

    Rich Roll

  • Obviously I can't look at you guys too much because I don't want to, don't want to have a crash, touch wood blooming neck.

  • The birth's due, the mother's pregnant now and touch wood, everything's going brilliantly so far and we've got pick of the litter.

  • I'm feeling great about the future, but I'll touch wood just in case.

  • She passed her exams, and touch wood, she's off to university next year.

Synonyms

to keep one's fingers crossed
vsto touch wood
  • Informal
20 3.5

To hope something will turn out well

is a spoken superstition said after positive mention rather than simple wishing
to rub for luck
vsto touch wood
1 6.3

Touch something to try to get good luck

is a spoken formula used after positive mention instead of object contact rituals
knock on wood
vsto touch wood
  • Informal
6.8

You say it to avoid bad luck after saying something good

is a spoken formula made with physical contact to ward off bad luck

Surface Forms

touch wood infinitive
touched wood past
touched wood past participle
touching wood present participle
touches wood third person singular

Morphology

touch + wood

Although its parts literally mean to make contact with wood, the expression functions as a culturally specific superstition used to ward off bad luck; that pragmatic, ritual meaning is not predictable from the constituent words alone. Even with similar rituals in other languages or the US variant 'knock on wood', the idiomatic protective-use cannot be derived by a B1 learner simply from 'touch' + 'wood', so it is opaque.

Etymology

Touch wood may come from an old belief that trees held helpful spirits, so people would actually touch the wood to call for protection. That's why today people touch wood to try to 'prevent bad luck' after saying something hopeful.