Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

The saying “Touch wood!” or “knock on wood” is typically used in response to something unlucky being said, to cancel out the possible ill effects of what was said. For instance, it might be a response to a person saying “Its raining so heavily now. I sure hope I don’t get struck by lightning!”, or “The economy is not doing very well this year. I might not get the usual one month bonus”. (In the local context, it typically has the same meaning as the colloquial term “Choy!”)

There are a few variations on how this saying originated. Mystical World Wide Web (www.mystical-www.co.uk) claims it came from a time when trees were held in high regard, when people believed trees were inhabited by ‘wood’ spirits. It was believed that these spirits would protect a person if they were to touch a tree with respect. Rosary Workshop (www.rosaryworkshop.com) on the other hand explains that the practice of touching something made of wood came from the wood of the rosary. In the olden days, rosaries were made of oak and were fingered in times of distress. To deal with hardship and difficulty, Christians were rub or touch their rosaries, thus, leading to the practice today of touching something made of wood.

Found this custom intriguing? Read up more on superstitions and old traditions from these books:

Rider in the night : a tale of sleepy hollow, by Candice Ransom ; illustrated by Greg Call
Publisher : Renton, WA : Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
Call No. : J S RAN

Silly superstitions / poems, chosen by Graham Denton ; illustrated by Jane Eccles
Publisher : London : Macmillan Children’s, 2006.
Call No. : J 821 SIL

A dictionary of superstitions, edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem
Publisher : Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.
Call No. : R 398.4103 DIC (For reference only)

Knock on wood : poems about superstitions / written by Janet S. Wong ; illustrated by Julie Paschkis.
Publisher : New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2003.
Call No. : J 811 WON

Folk customs, by Ellyn Sanna
Publisher : Broomall, Pa. : Mason Crest Publishers, c2003.
Call No. : Y 398.097 SAN

Across cultures : a guide to multicultural literature for children, by Kathy East and Rebecca L. Thomas
Publisher : Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
Call No. : 011.62 EAS -[LIB]

All websites were last accessed on 11 May 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.
All images were extracted from www.amazon.com

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services

Which version do you relate to more? What other explanations have you heard? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.