What does “Toccare ferro” mean?
Toccare ferro
Word for word
To touch iron
What it really means
To make the superstitious gesture that wards off bad luck. It is what Italians do when someone mentions illness, accidents or misfortune.
How we say it in English
To knock on wood — but note Italians reach for iron, not wood
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Acqua in bocca!
Mum's the word! — or keep it under your hat
Fare le ore piccole
To stay up into the small hours — English uses the very same phrase for those hours
Cercare il pelo nell'uovo
To split hairs — English lands on the same hair, from the other direction
Chi dorme non piglia pesci
The early bird catches the worm
Fare il finto tonto
To play dumb
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"