Introduction

The British idiom “touch wood” is related to an old pagan custom of touching pieces of trees surrounded by shrines dedicated to gods. But why knock on wood? It’s a superstition that either brings luck or prevents bad things from happening, by placing the wood between you and what you’re trying to avoid. The phrase originated in Europe, but it has spread across the world with English-speaking cultures having similar expressions with other origins.

Knock on wood or touch wood is a superstition from Europe.

If you’ve ever knocked on wood or touched wood, you’re probably aware of the superstition that such actions will either bring luck or prevent bad things from happening. While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this superstition originated, it has been traced back to northern Europe as far back as the Middle Ages.

The belief is simple: if you touch something made of wood—or even just say “touch wood”—you’ll protect yourself from any misfortune that could befall you.

The superstition is that touching wood will either bring luck or prevent bad things from happening, by placing the wood between you and what you’re trying to avoid.

When you knock on wood, it’s a superstition. You’re hoping that you’ll be protected from bad luck. You don’t want any more of it to happen.

By knocking on wood, you’re also hoping that by placing the wood between yourself and what you’re trying to avoid (in this case, bad things), it will prevent it from happening.

When people say “knock-knock” after saying something lucky or good, they’re inviting good karma into their life by giving thanks for what happened already—and asking for more of the same in future.

Etymologist Michael Quinion relates that in pre-Christian times in northern Europe, people believed that trees contained spirits.

Etymologist Michael Quinion relates that in pre-Christian times in northern Europe, people believed that trees contained spirits. These tree spirits were thought to be able to protect people from harm, and the custom was to knock on the tree to make contact with the tree spirit.

Other English-speaking cultures have similar expressions with other origins.

If you’re not American, you may be wondering how this expression came to be. If so, I’d like to tell you that it has nothing to do with knocking on wood and everything to do with other cultures’ superstitions.

For example, in some regions of South America, when someone compliments or wishes good fortune for another person (especially at times of risk), it’s customary for the recipient to touch wood as a sign of appreciation or respect. Similarly, many people from various countries touch wood as a means of avoiding bad luck when they say “I don’t believe in luck”, “If there is such thing as luck”, etc., because they believe that saying these things can bring misfortune upon them if they don’t touch a tree or something wooden immediately afterwards.

The idea of knocking on wood actually predates Christianity in Britain, according to folklorists.

The word “knock” comes from the Old English word cnoc, which means “a tree,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, it’s believed that the practice of knocking on wood predates Christianity in Britain; according to folklorists and historians, it was a pagan custom related to the belief that trees contained spirits.

In Britain, the practice was sometimes referred to as “touching iron.”

In Britain, touching iron was also considered a way to block out evil spirits. According to this belief, evil spirits are afraid of iron, so touching it helped avert misfortune. In fact, many people would even go so far as to knock on their doorknobs or car tires before entering their homes or cars for protection from these malevolent entities!

In a Romanian expression, it is still common to say “I’ll have my fingers crossed” (Îmi voi încrucişa degetele).

In a Romanian expression, it is still common to say “I’ll have my fingers crossed” (Îmi voi încrucişa degetele). This is a reference to the belief that evil spirits can’t cross a line made by the fingers of one hand. The superstition is similar to knocking on wood, but there are some differences between them:

• In Romania, people who knocked on wood were not expecting good luck; they just wanted to avoid bad luck. They wanted to be sure nothing would go wrong with their plans or actions. On the other hand, people who crossed their fingers believed in good fortune and hoped they would receive something good in return if they did something nice for someone else.
• Crossing hands occurs more often than knocking on wood because it is easier and faster; you don’t have to wait until someone answers your knock before crossing your fingers!

The British idiom “touch wood” is related to an old pagan custom of touching pieces of trees surrounded by shrines dedicated to gods.

The expression “touch wood” is a reference to an old pagan custom of touching pieces of trees surrounded by shrines dedicated to gods. It is thought that the practice was to touch the wood as a way of asking the gods for protection.

In Anglo-Saxon times, when Christianity was beginning to take hold in Britain, there were many pagan beliefs that still existed side by side with Christian ones. In addition to worshipping pagan deities such as Odin and Thor (whose symbols included oak trees), people also believed in fairies and other supernatural beings who lived in forests and woods.

The phrase “touch wood” evolved from this earlier belief system where trees were thought to have magical properties—they could protect you from harm or cure illness if you touched them while making prayers or wishes on them.

Conclusion

In the end, there’s nothing wrong with wishing on a star or knocking on wood. If it makes you feel better, then by all means do it! Just don’t expect any miracles in return.