# Silly supersitions that you practice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584 "2002-09-09T00:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jonpluc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jonpluc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonpluc)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/1 "2002-09-09T00:22:36Z")
im sure this topic has been done before but then again what hasn’t…my silly superstition is that i wear a John Elway jersey during every denver Bronco game and if they win i dont wash the shirt and if they dont straight into the washing machine it goes…what are you fav/silly superstitions? ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/2 "2002-09-09T01:25:51Z")
Always knock on wood…also, if I say that I expect something, it might jinx it…I have to say the opposite, too, to balance it out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/3 "2002-09-09T02:01:27Z")
I knock wood. I never use the last match. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/4 "2002-09-09T14:32:07Z")
I don’t knock on wood, but I do say “kina hora,” the Yiddish equivalent. Grew up seeing my grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles doing it, and it stuck . . . ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/5 "2002-09-09T20:13:44Z")
Whenever I spill salt, I throw a pinch over my left shoulder. My mother always did it, and I suppose I picked up the habit from her. I read somewhere that it’s supposed to blind the devil standing behind you. Seeing that fear of devils doesn’t otherwise enter into my life, I have no idea why I do it. ---
**Author:** ![Kiting\_Illini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Kiting\_Illini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiting_Illini)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/6 "2002-09-09T20:25:42Z")
Mrs. Verona insists that the first words spoken on the first day of the month be: “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit”. It is suppoded to be good luck I guess…I do it just to keep the peace. ---
**Author:** ![skot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@skot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/7 "2002-09-09T20:35:46Z")
I do the “knocking on wood” thing, but my mother-in-law has the weirdest one: if she gives you a sharp bladed object (knife, saw blade, etc…) she insists that you pay her (a penny is all it takes, but last Xmas she gave me some saw blades for my cut saw and all I had was a $2 coin…). Does anyone know where this strange tradition originates from? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/8 "2002-09-09T21:05:44Z")
“Strange tradition,” hell—sounds like your mother-in-law’s rakin’ in the cash! ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/9 "2002-09-09T21:29:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Agent LeManof Verona \* > \*\*Mrs. Verona insists that the first words spoken on the first day of the month be: “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit”. It is suppoded to be good luck I guess…I do it just to keep the peace. \*\* Ah, not only do they have to be the first words spoken, they must be uttered _before your feet touch the floor_, i.e, before you get out of bed. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sköt \*\*\* …my mother-in-law has the weirdest one: if she gives you a sharp bladed object (knife, saw blade, etc…) she insists that you pay her …Does anyone know where this strange tradition originates from? \*\* I’ve always been told that a knife, saw, etc. received as a **gift** will sever the bonds of friendship. Therefore, you must pay some amount in exchange for the object. Grandparents on both sides of my family instilled this in me. As for me, I won’t take the salt shaker directly from someone’s hand. That’s very bad luck. Put it down on the table first! ---
**Author:** ![Riboflavin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/10 "2002-09-09T21:36:02Z")
When playing RPGs, I roll dice before really rolling to see how they’re doing then once I’ve established that I like one, keep rolling it until I get a bad number and leave it there so that I don’t have the good streak stop while I’m using it. I also swap out dice after getting stuck on bad rolls. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/11 "2002-09-09T21:42:38Z")
When I’m driving in excess of the speed limit I won’t let myself think about how long it’s been since I got a speeding ticket, because I know if I get smug I’ll get busted. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/12 "2002-09-09T21:44:33Z")
I try not to practice any. As the great poker player, (Johnny Moss, I think), said, “it’s unlucky to be superstitious”. Ah, so that quote seems vaguely strange to you, does it? Well, consider the converse: “it’s lucky not to be superstitous”. But, that belief in itself is a superstitution, is it not? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/13 "2002-09-10T00:09:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Agent LeManof Verona \* > \*\*Mrs. Verona insists that the first words spoken on the first day of the month be: “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit”. It is suppoded to be good luck I guess…I do it just to keep the peace. \*\* I love it. Do you know the origin of it? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/14 "2002-09-10T00:13:18Z")
I don’t know the origin of it – but my family does it too. (And Gilda Radner did, as well, apparently – or at least a variation of it. A book by a friend of hers is called “Bunny, Bunny” in reference to this.) ---
**Author:** ![GopherGod72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@GopherGod72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GopherGod72)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/15 "2002-09-10T00:35:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Riboflavin \* > \*\*When playing RPGs, I roll dice before really rolling to see how they’re doing then once I’ve established that I like one, keep rolling it until I get a bad number and leave it there so that I don’t have the good streak stop while I’m using it. I also swap out dice after getting stuck on bad rolls. \*\* Oh jeesh… I used to work at a hobby store that sold RPG supplies. bugged me to no end people going through every die rolling to see which one rolled highest. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/16 "2002-09-10T00:51:12Z")
I do the Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit thing too. Also, when toasting something, I must touch the glass to the table before taking a sip. Is this a German tradition? I may have picked it up there, as my Irish family did not teach me this. ---
**Author:** ![Pencepon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@Pencepon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pencepon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/17 "2002-09-10T00:54:41Z")
A friend and I go to garage sales every Saturday morning, and if either of us finds a penny on the ground, it means that we will have a successful hunt that day. ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/18 "2002-09-10T02:36:35Z")
These aren’t really superstitions as such. They’re more like habits, as I made them all up. Oh well, call me crazy. The first two foods I eat every new year are a carrot, followed by an M&M. After this, usually a few more M&Ms… 😉 I always put an odd number of ice cubes in any drink that requires them. When I’m fixing drinks for others, I do it to their drinks, too. I have no idea why. When walking up/down stairs, I must take a number of steps equal to a power of 2. Also, it must be in decending order of numbers. For example, if there are ten steps, I’d go 2,2,1,1,1,1,1,1. If this is impossible, I put two feet on a step to “restart” the sequence. It sounds OCD, but seriously, it’s not! I always clasp my belt twice when I get dressed in the morning. Once when I put on my pants. Another time when I tuck in my shirt. Strange… That’s all I can think of right off the bat. I’m sure that there are others. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/19 "2002-09-10T02:50:46Z")
I thought of another one. I always set my clock to a time where the digits reduce to nine. I have no idea why I do this, but I have to. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584/20 "2002-09-10T03:36:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dinahmoe \* > \*\*I thought of another one. I always set my clock to a time where the digits reduce to nine. I have no idea why I do this, but I have to. \*\* I do this too. But the digits must reduce to five. I don’t really know why I do it either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-supersitions-that-you-practice/127584.md?page=2)