# Don't Open That in Here! Take it Outside! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492 "2000-01-21T00:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/1 "2000-01-21T00:50:00Z")
Why is is considered bad luck to open an umbrella indoors? My WAG: 1. Umbrellas were invented before the electric light was. 2. People used kerosene lamps, candles and gas lamps for illumination. 3. Opening an umbrella indoors was dangerous because you could set it and the house on fire. Any other ideas? * * * \>\< DARWIN \> \_\_ **L\_\_\_L** ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/2 "2000-01-21T01:14:00Z")
This superstition seems to have come to us from Asia. The Mandarin word for “umbrella” also means “fall apart”. I suppose this means that if you open an umbrella in the house, your home or family might fall apart. Here’s a story I found about how Filipino parents would scare their children into not violating the superstition by telling them that bugs would fall out of any umbrella opened indoors: [http://pinoystuff.com/folklore/superstitions/umbrella.htm](http://pinoystuff.com/folklore/superstitions/umbrella.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cooper)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/3 "2000-01-21T03:52:00Z")
I always thought it was cause its just kind of stupid to open the thing and then wrestle it through a door. My WAG: Once, some lumox was having such a time with it and couldn’t understand the physics, so someone told him it was ‘bad luck’ and to go outside first. ---
**Author:** ![timmar68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@timmar68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timmar68)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/4 "2000-01-21T03:55:00Z")
I was told that early versions of umbrellas didn’t open as easily as they do now and thus were unreliable. You had to do a lot of tugging then BAM! They’d open really hard. Consequently the force would make it jerk and cause damage and harm someone. So people avoided opening them indoors. So it wasn’t bad luck to open it indoors, just dangerous. It evolved into the superstition we know today. * * * MaryAnn I’m sorry you didn’t win, mom, but I’ll give you a constellation prize! -Greg ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/5 "2000-01-21T05:03:00Z")
I’m with MaryAnn on this one. The bad luck superstition grew from the hazards of opening an umbrella indoors. Another danger is the possibility of knocking something over with your personal canopy. Walking under ladders and breaking mirrors started in a similar manner. The previous was brought to you by the department of WAGs. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/6 "2000-01-21T05:11:00Z")
What the hell is WAG? Does that mean Wild Ass Guess? * * * “And on the eighth day, God Created beer to prevent the Irish from taking over the Earth.” _~SNOOGANS~_ ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/7 "2000-01-21T06:40:00Z")
SmickD: Your WAG about WAG was correct! * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-open-that-in-here-take-it-outside/6492/8 "2000-01-25T00:48:00Z")
Any more? * * * \>\< DARWIN \> \_\_ **L\_\_\_L**