Hi there,
I just got a strange email from a French coworker. I mentioned my upcoming wedding and he said:
So, I get most of it. Vive la mariee is roughly, “long live the marriage” or something, right? But did he just yell “Shit!” at the end? 
Yes, “merde” translates as “shit”. But part of the definition in the dictionary on my desk is:
So it’s being used ironically here, to wish you good luck.
Ah… that make sense. Thank you. Shit!!!
I dated a modern dancer, and this is apparently a pre-show tradition in the dance community as “break a leg” is among actors- the idea being that you don’t want to jinx it/call the evil spirits who will mess it up.
I think I remember reading about a culture that, when viewing newborn babies, one traditionally calls them ugly for the same reason.
“Merde” is known as the “mot de Cambronne” (Cambronne word), referring to a French general who supposedly said, when asked to surrender, “Shit! The Guard dies but does not surrender!” See here, but I’m sure that some people could tell it much better than me. Yes, it is used today with the same meaning (and connotations) as “break a leg”.
No, Happy, that was just an excuse your mom’s friend made up.
–Cliffy
And for that, Cambronne got a nice little square near the Eiffel Tower named after him.
Saying “good luck” (bonne chance) is supposed to bring bad luck. As a result, people will often say “merde” instead.