Find out why ‘Break a Leg’ is the ultimate paradox in the world of good luck wishes. This episode is your backstage pass to some of the most peculiar superstitions. With the expertise of a seasoned stage manager, you’ll get an insider’s perspective on the origins of this contradictory phrase, its place in theater history, and why saying ‘good luck’ can be a potential curse in disguise.
Our journey doesn't stop at the stage doors. Buckle up as we venture into the world of horse racing and German fighter pilots, examining theories that reveal the possible roots of 'Break a Leg' in these unexpected places.
Whether you’re an idiom enthusiast, a theater lover, or just someone who enjoys learning about interesting bits of culture and history, this episode has something for everyone! So tune in, sit back, and let the show begin!
Show References
Wings on My Sleeve: The World's Greatest Test Pilot Tells His Story - Eric "Winkle" Brown
Audio Book
Kindle
Hard Cover
Paper Back
The Red Battle Flyer - Capt. Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen
Kindle
Hard Cover
Paper Back
Interact with us at myunoriginalthoughtpodcast@gmail.com.
What did you like and what would you want to see in the future? Which idiom do you want us to explore next time? If you have any insight on today's topic, something I missed or didn’t get right, or if you want to be featured in a future What the Idiom? segment let me know.
SWAG!
Looking for My Unoriginal Thought post its, notebooks, coffee mugs? Look no farther!
Click here for awesome swag!
Find out why ‘Break a Leg’ is the ultimate paradox in the world of good luck wishes. This episode is your backstage pass to some of the most peculiar superstitions. With the expertise of a seasoned stage manager, you’ll get an insider’s perspective on the origins of this contradictory phrase, its place in theater history, and why saying ‘good luck’ can be a potential curse in disguise.
Our journey doesn't stop at the stage doors. Buckle up as we venture into the world of horse racing and German fighter pilots, examining theories that reveal the possible roots of 'Break a Leg' in these unexpected places.
Whether you’re an idiom enthusiast, a theater lover, or just someone who enjoys learning about interesting bits of culture and history, this episode has something for everyone! So tune in, sit back, and let the show begin!
Show References
Wings on My Sleeve: The World's Greatest Test Pilot Tells His Story - Eric "Winkle" Brown
Audio Book
Kindle
Hard Cover
Paper Back
The Red Battle Flyer - Capt. Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen
Kindle
Hard Cover
Paper Back
Interact with us at myunoriginalthoughtpodcast@gmail.com.
What did you like and what would you want to see in the future? Which idiom do you want us to explore next time? If you have any insight on today's topic, something I missed or didn’t get right, or if you want to be featured in a future What the Idiom? segment let me know.
SWAG!
Looking for My Unoriginal Thought post its, notebooks, coffee mugs? Look no farther!
Click here for awesome swag!
At least it didn't rain like yesterday. This is up again now. Oh yeah, hello, podcast family. This is your unoriginal host, afrin J, and I'm happy to be hanging out with you wherever you are today. I started this podcast because I've always loved fun facts, history and culture. I consume so many books and podcasts that it made sense that I would find friends out there that love some of the same things that I do. And boom, my unoriginal thought podcast was born.
Speaker 1:I don't know how many other nerds out there are going to want to hear about the fascinating world of idioms, but we're going to go on this adventure together. Let's get into the intellectual journey that we are going to go on today. As always, none of what we'll talk about today is my original thoughts, but I will attempt to repackage other people's original ideas and talk through them so we can learn and laugh together. I'm going to try to bring you the most interesting useless knowledge in the most thought-provoking and entertaining way. I know how. Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 1:Today's episode is Break a Leg. You have been prepping for a huge presentation at work. You're about to go in to make the biggest pitch of your life and your coworker tells you to break a leg. This idiom always makes me laugh. In popular culture in America we know this means good luck. However, this phrase is complicated because it's known as a reverse jinx. Try explaining that to someone learning our language. Well, you see, we say mean things to like give you good luck on something important. It just doesn't make sense. Also, my job is way more complicated this episode because this is one of those phrases where the origin is a mystery. There are many theories, but no one really knows the exact reason why we use this interesting and strange saying so. Spoiler alert this episode will be full of very interesting, somewhat true, somewhat speculative, useless knowledge. With that in mind, let's dive in. Here's the part of the show where we play the game what the Idiom? Where we have unsuspecting friends. Guess the origin of this week's phrase. Let's start with our first friend.
Speaker 2:If you have a good guess about where Break a Leg comes from, I will take it.
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness. Okay, so right off the bat, I would just guess like, because you think of like performances, so I would guess like something like Shakespeare. Yeah, so everyone just was like. You know, shakespeare was the dude, he was the homie, so we're just going to guess Shakespeare.
Speaker 5:The only thing I really know is like in the theater, right? Well, we say Break a Leg, and you know what they really mean is do amazing. But if you say do amazing, you obviously curse them.
Speaker 1:So everybody that I interviewed thought the exact same thing. They all think that the origin of this phrase started in the theater during Shakespearean times. Is that what you think? Let's talk to a professional stage manager to get her guess, so what do you do?
Speaker 6:in the theater.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm a professional stage manager. Where do you think the origin of the phrase Break a Leg originally comes from? I feel like it comes from like, I almost think, like, like part of me thinks it came from like the Shakespearean age of theater, or maybe even like a little bit after, with like more of the industrial stuff we did in theater but I feel like it's been around for so long that it's just so ingrained in theater that it's hard to say exactly when it came through, but I would think it's been around forever, you know.
Speaker 2:So people still say Break a Leg in the theater. That's like a very common thing. Yeah, I mean obviously, like when you talk about ballet and stuff, they don't say Break a Leg, they say Married, because obviously you don't want to tell a dancer Break a Leg. But yeah, theater, people still say it all the time and it replaces the use of the term Good Luck and for reasons that I'm not even entirely sure, good Luck is considered to be kind of one of those curses. Like theater, people are super superstitious.
Speaker 1:There are several different types of idioms phrases, prose proverbs and sayings we'll talk about on this show. I will always try to be correct in my terminology but for all of you English and language masters out there, feel free to correct me or pardon me if I'm not always 100% right. The term Break a Leg is an idiom. Miriam Webster defines an idiom as an expression in the usage of a language that is particular to itself, having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meaning of its elements. Simply put, an idiom is a phrase used commonly in a language or culture that means something different from how it literally sounds. Those are up in the air a bird in the hand, as we're, two in the bush, etc. Shameless plug. We'll be talking about these in future episodes, so tune in. The exact origin of the idiom break a leg remains a topic of debate, not with like normal people, but like with people like us who are kind of nerdy and like this stuff. But anyway, there are several different stories behind how exactly we came to use this phrase and why. While some of them seem far-fetched, all of them are very interesting. So we will discuss each one and I'll let you decide what you think is true, the facts we do know.
Speaker 1:In American common language, the phrase break a leg starts in the early 1900s. It was originally used to wish stage performers good luck, particularly before a theater performance. It indicates that you hope for the best performance out of the actor and you encourage them to give it their all. Today we use it in context outside the theater, such as to wish your friend good luck on a presentation, a job interview, a tough conversation, etc. In general, it is meant to wish good luck to the recipient. Many think that this term comes from a blend of other superstitions, sayings and languages. So where do we start? There are so many different ways to go about this, but today let's go historically with the most possible explanations, and I will try to create a timeline of this phrase for you. Afterwards we can get into some alternate explanations that are more comical than truthful.
Speaker 1:Disclaimer I am about to attempt different languages. I do not mean to offend anyone with how I am about to say these phrases. Feel free to laugh at my interpretation of any word in this episode. You have been warned. Okay, here we go. I'm a little nervous.
Speaker 1:Right, it all might have started with a Yiddish phrase or Hebrew blessing, namely het lacha brek racha. Oh gosh, I hope that's even remotely close, but literally translated, this means success and blessing. Hebrew blessings often convey well wishes and positive sentiments. This is so sweet and kind. However, at some point there is a German interpretation that is converted from Yiddish to the phrase heitz un brech, which might have been a frenetic accident or an ironic play on words we don't really know how it happened and the German version of this phrase is seen to emerge in the early 1900s by German pilots. This phrase literally means neck and leg break. Let's get this straight. Instead of saying have a safe flight, they tell each other you neck and leg break. Why would pilots say this to one another? Are they just huge a-holes?
Speaker 1:Pets are traditionally a superstitious group of people and this might be their attempt at a reverse jinx. A reverse jinx, as stated by the word sense dictionary, is a prediction which is the opposite of the outcome desired by the person making it. In an article written by Rick Nowbert, phd, and reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board, new research suggests practices to reverse bad fortune or undue jinx might actually work. Actions such as knocking on wood, spitting or throwing salt are common practice even among people who aren't particularly superstitious. University of Chicago Booth School of Business Researchers discovered these superstitions actually do reverse perceived bad fortune.
Speaker 1:In a quote from the study, it says our findings suggest that not all actions to undo a jinx are equally effective. Instead, we find that avoidant actions that exert a force away from one's representation of self are especially effective for reducing the anticipated negative consequences following a jinx, said researcher Jane Ryzen. Phd, engaging in avoidant actions seems to create the sense that the bad luck is being pushed away, ryzen says. In addition, the researchers found that engaging in an avoidant action had its effect by leading people to a less vivid mental image of the negative event. So keep tossing that salt or knocking on wood. It's working.
Speaker 1:The pilot's version of this is imagining breaking your bones. But whatever keeps you flying safe. If you are superstitious, maybe try saying Heiz und Reimbruch to your pilot on your next flight. You will either have really good luck or you're going to get thrown off the plane for making threats. Disclaimer if you do get kicked off the flight for saying this, I will lie and say I did not suggest it. Okay, at first I didn't think any of this could be true, but after doing some digging I found evidence that in fact it was a commonly used phrase in aviation.
Speaker 1:There's a famous story in the biography of the flying ace Eric Winkle Brown where the phrase is used. As a youth, eric was invited to fly with Ernst Undet, the highest-scoring surviving German fighter ace of World War One, who was renowned for his aerobatics around the world. After 30 minutes of aerobatics during an air show, udet and Eric landed, he slapped Eric on the back and exclaimed Heiz und Reimbruch, the traditional German fighter pilot, greeting to celebrate some great achievement in the air. Eric fell in love with aviation during that flight. He went on to become an ace himself and set many aviation records during his time.
Speaker 1:If you are interested in this story, go get the book. The link is in the show notes. In another autobiography, the Red Battleflyer, manfred von Ritthoff, recorded that World War One pilots regularly used a corruption of the success and blessing saying and would wish their fellow fighter pilots hauls und Reimbruch for luck and safety before a flight. And I could even find British and German pilots still using the greeting signing off on their posts on the internet today, kind of like American pilots use the phrase Cheers, who do Mind blown While doing the research is always interesting. Let's talk to some modern day pilots to better understand aviation superstitions.
Speaker 2:What do you do for a living?
Speaker 5:I am a pilot.
Speaker 2:Perfect. So, if I told you before you went to go fly neck and leg break, what would you think I was like hey girl neck and leg break.
Speaker 5:You're trying to wish me luck, right?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I am trying to wish you luck.
Speaker 5:It's like a weird superstitious thing that I probably sailor. I've been sailors through the same thing right, you know, sailors are not like people that, like dangerous things actually happen. Well, to me it's just like with aviation, like especially because, like bad things happen all the time and it's just just random luck. It's like so much of our lives is tied into just the powers of the universe, like does a bird just randomly hit you at 100 miles an hour? Like it's the worst possible moment, like it's just all these you need good luck all the time, like we rely on it so much. So I feel like people are like various superstitions when it comes to that, because, like your lives hanging the balance.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of superstitions, do you have any superstitions related to flying that you do for Good Luck?
Speaker 5:Um, let's see, when I was really early on for a check ride, we did like the five S's of a check ride and we still like somewhat hold to the superstition, like if you have a check ride the next day, you're supposed to do like like sleep, study, shower, uh, steak. And then the last one is like subject to interpretation, because some people say that it's sex and some people say that it's take a shit. So five S's, yep, yep. Four out of five is good. Three out of five is good. Yeah, I had no idea you did the five S's. That's so funny.
Speaker 7:Oh man Break a neck and leg. I can't imagine that that's like a superstition for before flying, but I don't know. I would feel uneasy about it. I mean I've heard, break a leg, like if you're getting ready to go on to stage like for acting or something, but not break a neck or leg going to go fly.
Speaker 2:I guess what would be the difference between you telling your buddy to break the leg or you telling your flight buddy to break his neck and his leg? Yeah, oh, wow, oh no, do you have any superstitions related to flying that you do for Good Luck?
Speaker 7:I do not talk bad about the airplane that I'm flying in, because I feel like it listens to me and then when I get done I always thank it for getting me there.
Speaker 4:I also do not talk bad about the airplane.
Speaker 2:If she is struggling, I try to give her a little encouragement.
Speaker 7:Exactly, Exactly. I went flying today and when I got done flying I patted the each spinner on the airplane and I said thank you. Good job, little Seneca. And then I closed my hand your door and walked away.
Speaker 2:There you go, that's.
Speaker 7:all you can do is just treat her nice I always, always think that that airplane is listening to me and it has feelings. I don't want to hurt its feelings.
Speaker 6:For Good Luck. Yeah, so I always fly. I've flown every single flight ever ever been on with my dad's pilot wings, so he passed away when I was 14. He's a Royal Air Force pilot, trained in the US, but yeah, it's just something I've always held on and I've carried it on every single flight that I've ever been on, both commercial and well like in the military.
Speaker 6:I also have a weird superstition that always heightens my awareness. So when my dad punched out of the F-86, he saw the rabbit and he always hated rabbits so he like took them away from us when we were kids and things like that. And then the other thing is, if I ever see a rabbit when I'm flying, I literally will be the most attentive other in my life. I thought I think something bad's going to happen, but I don't know.
Speaker 1:It turns out, pilots are not the only superstitious bunch. Another theory is that horse racers also use a phrase similar for Good Luck. The first mention of break a leg was recorded in print by Robert Wilson Lind in 1921. In urban literary essayist he wrote an article, quote a defense of superstition, about the prevalence of superstition in the theater and horse racing. He outlined that in horse racing one would never wish good luck as it might push someone's luck too far. You would say, rather, I hope your horse will break a leg. This served as some sort of reverse psychology and it was meant to appease the spirit of fate which favored the humble. He does not mention in the book the exact origin of the phrase. Rather it is just a social commentary that is used commonly at the time.
Speaker 1:Another theory is that crossing the line or quote breaking it was believed to drive away evil spirits and ensure a successful race. Over time this ritual was transformed into wishing the horses and riders good luck. In that sense, using the phrase break a leg is a symbolic representation of breaking the starting line. There is also some that would say that during a horse race it is the first leg to break the finish line who wins. So it's lucky to wish the rider to break a leg, meaning I hope you finish first. There's no evidence as to which one of these reasons is why the phrase is popular in horse racing. We just know that it was common in the early 1900s. That brings us to the usage in the theater. Let's talk to some friends to explain some of the most common theater superstitions.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's. My next question is, like, what other superstitions are in the theater that people don't know about or that you guys use really frequently? I mean, the whistling thing is like it is less common, but I heard that that has to do with the flies and how all that system works, and that came when we were starting to use. So flies and theater are the things that drop things in and out of a scene. So usually you have like paint drops or set pieces or whatever and you have them attached to poison ropes, and so I know the whistling was a huge thing and I think it comes from like dock workers or something, but it was considered really bad luck if you were. You were whistling because it was throwing people off on what they were doing somehow and it was considered I think it comes from like ships and stuff. I think it was considerable on those things that you don't do around ropes. And then the Scottish play Mackers.
Speaker 2:One is a big one apparently if you say that there's been all these records of like People saying it and then like theaters I don't say burning down, but like crazy shit happening and so yeah, so that's another big one. There's like there's so many and it really depends on on people, like even little things, and it's not so much of a super station, but when we have two chose days we could we call them to do she's, and that's like a way of wishing people kind of good luck, because you're doing like this marathon of having two shows in one day. So yeah, there's like a lot of little things and I think it depends culturally, like I feel like some cities do some stuff, like I'm sure there are things that happen in England that doesn't necessarily happen here anymore, but yeah, there's like there's quite a quite a few.
Speaker 1:I remember reading a while ago there was like a whole list and some of them we don't do anymore, yeah, so yeah, it just depends the first reference to the phrase break a leg and the American theater scene came from a writer called Edna Ferber in her autobiography called a particular treasure, written in 1938. She's the first person to mention the term break a leg in a theater reference. Just in case it's been a while since you've read the book, I'll remind you of the passage. And when that grizzly night of the dress rehearsal finally comes around, in all the understudies sitting in the back row Politely wish the various principles would break a leg. But again, the evidence here is tenuous. It's not clear if the understudies are uttering break a leg out loud and feigning good luck, or if they are silently hoping the lead literally breaks a leg and will be unable to perform so they have a chance to go on stage. It is worth noting that the phrase break a leg might have localized origins within specific theater circles or Regions before gaining wider recognition and usage. So maybe that's why it's so. I'm Peg US.
Speaker 1:The earliest unequivocal use of the term break a leg in a theater context I can find is in a West Virginia Charlotte Gazette of 29 May 1948. Here is the excerpt Superstitions of the stage are numerous and many are particular to individual actors and actresses. That it is bad luck to whistle in a dressing room is a widely accepted belief. Another is that one actor should not wish another good luck before a performance but instead say I hope you break a leg. However, due to the lack of concrete documentation and historical records, it is close to impossible to determine an exact date or a specific event that marks the beginning of this phrase's popularity. We just know that it is the finably around the earliest 20th century and the theater so commonly uses it today. Here is a fun fact actors might use break a leg, but ballet dancers instead say manada. This is the French word for shit or crap, in Spanish the phrase much America and in Portuguese Mood that murder, and I am so sorry for my butchering of all of these beautiful languages. Anyway, they both mean the same thing. It all means lots of shit. The reason why it gives an interesting look into the past.
Speaker 1:Back before cars, people would take carriages to the theater. If so many people were showing up for a performance, there would be a standstill of traffic, of carriages. The horses would inevitably have to relieve themselves in front of the theater, and so manada outside the theater was a stinky but awesome sign that the show was a huge success. It is so funny how all these things come about. This is definitely some useless knowledge I knew nothing about, but we'll be adding to my weekly trivia game. That is all the historical, accurate information that I could find on the origins and timelines of this phrase, but I would be remiss if I did not also share With you the more outrageous theories, just for fun. Here are the most entertaining stories I could find for you.
Speaker 1:Curtains on either side of the stage were called legs. In the early of the 20th century, a performance could be given the quote Hook or told to leave the stage if the audience did not like the performance. The next performer would then be given a chance to perform. If you performed, you got paid. Therefore, actors would wish each other good luck by saying break a leg, meaning I hope you get to perform and you get that money. It is thought that break a leg has evolved beyond the stage world and now includes the variants such as give me a break, getting a break and breaking into the business. Another theory in the 18th century, famed actor David Garrick, alive from 1717 to 1779, became so entranced with his performance during Shakespeare's Richard the third. He completed the play unaware he had fractured his leg. It is said, actors started saying break a leg, as in have such an incredible performance, you wouldn't even care if your leg was broken.
Speaker 1:And finally, but probably the least true theory connects this phrase to the ancient Greek theatrical audiences. It is believed that in ancient Greece, spectators would bang their chairs on the ground to show appreciation for a flawless performance. Naturally, if the audience was too enthusiastic, they would break the leg of their chair that they were sitting on. This connection to the ancient Greek theater suggested the phrase carries a historical weight and a connection to the origins of the theater itself. However, it was only the action of the Greeks that might have contributed to the origin of the phrase. They weren't actually out there telling each other to break a leg, it was just a consequence of a good performance.
Speaker 1:I find this the least true because, historically, there are many other forms of cheer that the Greeks would use, such as feed stamping, snapping the fingers, chanting and flag waving. I did not find any evidence of chair slapping in my research, but it does make for a good story. Okay, fun fact family. That was a lot of information and an interesting look through the 20th century, to find the past behind this originless idiom. From pilots to racers, actors to dancers and even ourselves, it seems like we all might be a little superstitious and need a little reverse jinx every once in a while. That is an incredible amount of information and, thanks to Ponder, I will leave you here with these intellectual snacks to think about, and you can tell me what you think by leaving us a comment on the podcast or sending us an email to my and originalthoughtpodcast at gmailcom.
Speaker 1:I want to hear from you. What did you like and what do you want to see in the future? Which idiom do you want us to explore next time? If you have any insight on today's topic, something I missed or I didn't get right, or maybe you just want to be featured in the future what the idiom segment? Let me know. This is our show and I want to interact with you and, as always, like and subscribe to the podcast so you will never miss a new episode. That's a wrap for today. Thank you so much for being with us to learn and laugh our way through another unoriginal thought.
Speaker 1:I'm your host, afton Jay, and I thank you for hanging out with me and, as always, keep being inquisitive. Hey, I just want to let you know that if you couldn't get enough of this episode, we will always have bloopers and interesting conversations included afterwards. Some of this material we didn't have time to get to or it didn't have a place in the final edit, but it's always thought provoking or funny or possibly both. If you're interested, just stick around. Bloopers. Oh yeah, these extras are from our pilots. Sometimes it's hard to get people to answer your questions in the way you want, or we just don't have enough time in the regular episode to put in all the clips. In this segment of clips, I got some goofy answers. We give you the full five and three S's explanation and we get to hear some more interesting superstitions for you to laugh along with.
Speaker 2:What do you do for a living?
Speaker 6:I am a United pilot.
Speaker 2:Perfect. So if I told you to neck and leg break before you went for a flight, what would you think?
Speaker 6:I think you're psycho. First of all.
Speaker 2:Neck and leg break.
Speaker 6:I have no idea. I would say break a leg, and maybe you're a strange way of trying to tell me to have good luck.
Speaker 2:I do have questions, if you want to answer questions.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I would love to, I would love to All.
Speaker 2:Right, here we go. I'm going to start with the pilot ones. I'm only going to be the first to answer the rest of them. The answer is pilot. I didn't think this would be a hard question but all of my friends were like uh, and they gave me like dumb answers, like dolphin trainer, like no motherfucker, I need pilot.
Speaker 3:All I need from you.
Speaker 5:This is not supposed to be complicated.
Speaker 7:You're all sitting down.
Speaker 5:Stay the right thing.
Speaker 4:That's for the podcast. Oh my God, I love it.
Speaker 2:Anyway, but yeah, so the first answer is pilot. So, speaking of superstitions, do you have any superstitions related to flying that you do for good luck?
Speaker 5:When I was really early on for a check ride, we did like the five S's of a check ride, when we still like somewhat hold to the superstition, like if you have a check ride the next day you're supposed to do like like sleep, study, shower, uh, steak. And then the last one is like subject to interpretation, because some people say that it's sex and some people say that it's tickish. So have you ever done that Like the five S's of a check ride?
Speaker 2:So I thought it was three S's, but I do comply with the three S's as best I can. Yeah, I didn't you have a lot more S's than I do, but yeah the sleep, steak, sex, shower and study are also very important, so I will add two more S's to my three.
Speaker 5:You're staying all this time. You've never studied for a check ride.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that's like inherent that you would study, though it's not like an additional S that I have to do Same thing with showering, like I don't. Who's not going to shower?
Speaker 5:Okay clearly you were not in the same pilot training class as I was, because there were a few people that we had to sit down and be like you need to shower, and the better one was dude like show up and shower.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, but it's funny because we didn't go to pilot training at the same place. We didn't go at the same time and the S's are a thing.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the more that you get, the better your check ride will get. But if you just miss one, like it's just going to, maybe that's like a small mistake, so yeah yeah, Obviously the guys are going to be like open oil, like hub to hub.
Speaker 5:suck, obviously, Like that's how dude brain works, right.
Speaker 2:Right, clearly that S is added by dudes. If it was a girl, that would have been like self care. It would have been the S's Self care, where you like meditate, you like put your eyes, that's it. I'm changing the five.
Speaker 5:S's. The S is self care, but that's a thing for dude. Sex is self care, so you know I get it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yep, yep, good, good point man, he solved the world's problem in this conversation. I'm going to start spreading that rumor, though, Whenever someone new is like why do I do before a checker? And I'm like here's the five S's, one of them is self care.
Speaker 5:Which I mean sour, is kind of self care. But I mean I don't know, it's five S's Yep, yep. Four of the five's good, three out of five's good yeah.
Speaker 2:I had no idea you did the five S's. That's so funny, oh man.
Speaker 7:So do you have any superstitions? Do you believe in them? I used to always fly with a lucky rock.
Speaker 2:I don't do that anymore.
Speaker 3:But when I was teaching in Gliders so we'd be outside I would if I didn't have a somewhat. I think someone one time gave me a rock and was like here's your lucky rock. And then if I didn't have a rock, it didn't matter what rock I picked up off the ground. I would pick up a rock and put it in my pocket and it would be my lucky rock. I don't do that anymore, but there's my two weird superstitions.
Speaker 4:I love that so much.
Speaker 2:I have to touch the outside of the airplane. No matter if I'm flying myself or flying on a commercial plane, I always touch the outside of it before I go in.
Speaker 3:That's really funny. I actually do that too going on a commercial airliner. Like when you walk in you put your hand right there. Yes, yep.
Speaker 2:I thought it was the only one. You're not. You're not. Well, there you go, if you don't touch the outside of the airplane, you don't know what will happen.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you just don't know. You just don't know. I'm glad to know my pilot's doing that too, though.
Speaker 2:We're all safe as long as we touch the outside.
Speaker 3:Everybody. I just need you to touch the outside and it'll be fine.
Speaker 1:Ha, gotta love those bloopers. That's a wrap. Yep, we're all done here. Oh wait, were you looking for some more fun facts? Okay, check out the next episode. Press play. Let's go, We'll be right back.