knock on wood
祈求好運
講解:
美國人遇到沒把握的事情時,有個迷信是用手在木頭上敲敲,據說這樣可以帶來好運。這個迷信的起源不可考,不過knock on wood已成為常用的英文詞組,表示“祈求好運”。另外,cross one's fingers 或是 keep one's fingers crossed,也是“祈禱好運”的意思。
例句:
In everyday language,the recovery is getting to the point where people can feel it in their wallets. And this time it might not fizzle out the way an end-of-1992 surge did—It might—cross fingers,knock on wood—continue at a steady pace through next year or beyond.(出自:TIME,Dec. 13,1993,p. 32 )
用簡單的話說,經濟復蘇已經達到一般人荷包都有感覺的程度了。而且這次可能不會像一九九二年底那一波一樣后繼無力。這一次說不定能——手指交叉,敲敲木頭以祈求好運吧一續到明年底,甚至更久。