walking under ladder
Tempting bad luck
Walking under a ladder is a common superstition holding that passing beneath a leaning ladder brings bad luck.
The belief may stem from the triangular shape formed against a wall, considered sacred or dangerous in various traditions.
He went around the ladder rather than walking under it.
The phrase often appears in lists of folk superstitions alongside black cats and broken mirrors.
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- old wives taleUnverified traditional belief
- bad luckUnfavorable chance events
- omenProphetic indicator
- curseInvoked harm through words
jinx · misfortune · belief · folklore · knock on wood · lucky charm · painter · construction · construction zone · scaffold · stepladder · ducking · step over · avoiding · sidewalk · black cat · broken mirror · spilled salt
- Old Wives' Talescracking knuckles, full moon madness, broken mirror, spilled salt, hair of the dog
- superstitionblack cat, broken mirror, Friday the 13th, evil eye, bad luck
- superstitionssuperstition, superstitions, hexes, black cats, broken mirror
- mythsmyth, legend, fable, fairy tale, folk tale
walking under ladderdrunk driving
Operating vehicle while intoxicated
texting while driving · playing with fire · skydiving · running with scissors
walking under laddertempting fate
Risking bad outcomes recklessly
throwing caution to the wind · courting disaster · living dangerously · reckless abandon