Tell me more ×  From the dictionary, it looks like it's some
kind of ritual one does for luck, but I still cannot figure out
when one would really knock on wood.  share|improve this
question History of where the phraze come from would be nice. – 
Sung Mar 14 '12 at 17:46 add comment  1 Answer  up vote 4 down
vote accepted  Knocking on wood used to be a way of warding off
suspected impending bad luck, and now it's used as a tongue-in-
cheek sort of phrase for when someone has had a lot of good
luck, meaning that the person should be careful to avoid the bad
luck which may follow. The Phrase Finder says:  This phrase is
used by people who rap their knuckles on a piece of wood hoping
to stave off bad luck. In the UK, the phrase 'touch wood' is
used - often jokingly by tapping one's head. The phrases are
sometimes spoken when a person is already experiencing some good
fortune and hope that it will continue - for example "I've been
winning on every race - touch wood".   The derivation may be the
association that wo