英语词汇knock on wood的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

knock on wood. Why do we say knock on wood and tap wood or our heads after declaring that some calamity has never hap- pened to us? The superstition is an old one and has many possi- ble explanations, none sure. It may be of pagan origin, deriving from the practice of rapping on trees to ask protection from friendly spirits who were believed to reside inside. Or it could be a Christian superstition similar to touching wooden cruci- fixes or rosary beads. One theory even holds that the practice comes from games like hide-and-seek in which players who succeed in touching wood are safe from capture. A last, far- fetched possibility is that the superstition is linked to a verse in the sixth chapter of Galatians: “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” You will be forgiven any vainglorious boast, according to this story, if you quickly recall the wooden cross Christ carried.

词汇	knock on wood
词源	knock on wood. Why do we say knock on wood and tap wood or our heads after declaring that some calamity has never hap- pened to us? The superstition is an old one and has many possi- ble explanations, none sure. It may be of pagan origin, deriving from the practice of rapping on trees to ask protection from friendly spirits who were believed to reside inside. Or it could be a Christian superstition similar to touching wooden cruci- fixes or rosary beads. One theory even holds that the practice comes from games like hide-and-seek in which players who succeed in touching wood are safe from capture. A last, far- fetched possibility is that the superstition is linked to a verse in the sixth chapter of Galatians: “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” You will be forgiven any vainglorious boast, according to this story, if you quickly recall the wooden cross Christ carried.
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