breaking the glass
Smashing a window
Breaking the glass refers to a Jewish wedding tradition where the groom (and sometimes bride) stomps on a glass wrapped in cloth at the ceremony's conclusion, followed by shouts of "Mazel tov!" The gesture carries multiple interpretations—remembrance of the Temple's destruction, acknowledgment that joy is fragile, or simply marking the transition to celebration.
The phrase also appears in secular contexts for any ceremonial or decisive moment: It's time to break the glass and make this official.
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- crackNarrow break or attempt
- smashBreak violently apart
- fragmentsIncomplete broken pieces
- shardsBroken fragments of brittle material
splinter · crash · window · mirror · smash and grab · emergency · fire alarm · alarm · ceiling · barrier · threshold · jagged · sharp · tinkling · burst · rupture · hammer · fist
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- weddingswedding, wedding dress, wedding cake, wedding ceremony, bride
- wedding customswedding vows, wedding veil, wedding rings, wedding gown, wedding ceremony