knock on wood
祈求好运
讲解:
美国人遇到没把握的事情时,有个迷信是用手在木头上敲敲,据说这样可以带来好运。这个迷信的起源不可考,不过knock on wood已成为常用的英文词组,表示“祈求好运”。另外,cross one's fingers 或是 keep one's fingers crossed,也是“祈祷好运”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 )
用简单的话说,经济复苏已经达到一般人荷包都有感觉的程度了。而且这次可能不会像一九九二年底那一波一样后继无力。这一次说不定能——手指交叉,敲敲木头以祈求好运吧一续到明年底,甚至更久。