knocked on wood
Warded off jinxes
Knocked on wood is the past tense of knock on wood, the superstitious gesture of rapping knuckles against something wooden to prevent jinxing good fortune after mentioning it: I've never been in a car accident—knocked on wood.
The phrase often follows a hopeful statement as verbal insurance against tempting fate.
- tapValve controlling liquid flow
- touchPerceiving through physical contact
- luckChance affecting outcomes
- charmAttractive personal quality
- lucky charmObject thought to bring fortune
fingers crossed · superstition · old wives' tale · break a leg · tempting fate · wishful thinking · good luck · belief system · tradition · gesture · warding off · table · desk · jinx · omen · rap · knuckles · custom