touch wood
(idiomatic, UK, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India) Hopefully; said while touching something wooden, to avert superstitious bad luck from what has just been said.
Definitions
(idiomatic, UK, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India) Hopefully; said while touching something wooden, to avert superstitious bad luck from what has just been said.
And the reds are going to avoid relegation this year, touch wood.
Comments
(UK, Irish, Commonwealth) To make contact with wood to avert bad luck, in accordance with a folk practice.
“Except last time I cat-sat in a flat that had one of those clickers, I found the recent beginnings of arthritis in my fingers made it quite painful to use it - this (touch wood) is the only thing arthritis has made difficult (still early days, but I am at that age now).”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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