# Strange Superstitions/Practices **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 18, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475 "2005-05-18T20:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/41 "2005-05-19T18:04:41Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > [Here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_412b.html) is a Cecil column on the healing properties of saliva. Given that I’ve seen dogs and cats lick their wounds, there’s probably a grain of truth of truth in the ex-MIL’s superstition. Still, your own saliva would work as well, and antibiotic cream would work much better. I’d meant to link to that article and forgot. :smack: I understand where she got the notion. However, she really ran with it. Far! 😛 Dogs have\* magic tongues\*. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/42 "2005-05-19T18:06:07Z")
Dogs have\* magic tongues\*. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/43 "2005-05-19T18:07:10Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > Dogs have\* magic tongues\*. Wow, sorry, that post wasn’t supposed to happen. Apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/44 "2005-05-19T18:09:58Z")
So magic they named them twice? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/45 "2005-05-19T18:17:19Z")
My mom would say that whatever the weather was on your birthday, that was how you were for the last year. Thus, being a good boy would ensure a blue sky sunny day (in March, in Minnesota for me). I must say I had many a guilty birthday when it was nice out. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/46 "2005-05-19T19:00:42Z")
I turn all my books face-down when I stack them on the shelves… Does anyone else do this? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/47 "2005-05-19T19:47:26Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > I was taught (growing up in Chattanooga, TN) that the greens were for wealth and the blackeyes were for health. > > Up here (I’m in NE Ohio now), they have sauerkraut and pork for new years, but I’m not sure why. Pork here too, in Pennsylvania Dutch country (more or less…) Personally, we have hog maw, but mostly it’s pork and sauerkraut (not sauerkraut and pork… 😛 ) For luck. Don’t know where that come from either. Chicken-in-every-pot angle? Abundance? ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/48 "2005-05-19T20:13:31Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > When I play solitaire on the computer, I must have my aces lined up, from left to right, in this order: hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs. Hee! I go hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades. And I used to play the date in Free Cell every day at my old job. (So, like, for today it would be game #51905) If I won, it was going to be a good day. If not . . . well, who believes in this superstitious sh!t, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/49 "2005-05-19T20:35:58Z")
> [@auntie em](#): > > Hee! I go hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades. And I used to play the date in Free Cell every day at my old job. (So, like, for today it would be game #51905) If I won, it was going to be a good day. If not . . . well, who believes in this superstitious sh!t, anyway? Ha! Exactly! But\* exactly\*! I even notice my jaw unconsciously clench when you said hearts, _clubs_, diamonds, spades. My mind is already screaming “No! Hearts then _spades_! That’s the way it _is_!” Even knowing how silly it is, I just can’t stop it. Watching anyone else playing solitaire and doing it “wrong” makes me grit my teeth. I think everyone has at least a wee bit of OCD in them. I also double check every lock (sometimes walking all the way back to check), hang all my shirts and jackets facing the same direction, books must be lines up tallest to shortest (and not too many of different sizes per shelf), my DVDs must be side-by-side in the cabinet, and aligned perfectly (if a DVD came in a special case or box set, it’s taken out of the line up and placed in a “special” spot for the “irregulars”), and I always, always knock three times on a door (three raps). Any more than three seems cocky (“I WANT IN!”), and any less than three is too vague (“do I really want in?”). And I never, never step on a crack! :eek: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/50 "2005-05-19T20:46:04Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > She honestly believed that if you got hurt, be it a minor scratch or a mortal wound, if you had a dog lick it, it would heal. Why? Because “dogs have _magic tongues_.” Her words. > > Let that one sink in: > > _Magic_. _Tongues_. > > All these years, our doctors have worked so hard. And the answer has been in front of us all along. The dogs have magic tongues. Actually, they kind of _do_ have “magic tongues”–if you consider antibiotic compounds in canine saliva to be “magic.” Lots of mammals have saliva with substances in them that speed healing from cuts and scratches. When I was a kid, my best friend’s family had a dog. At one point, I got what I remember as a pretty big cut on my knee (I was always banging up my knees, since I did a lot of climbing trees and crawling around, looking for various small creepy-crawly things.) My friend got the dog, who followed her out and licked my knee completely clean. Within a day or two, the cut was more or less healed over. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/51 "2005-05-19T20:52:08Z")
Don’t get me wrong, I do understand. But I don’t think I stressed this enough: she believes that if you are mortally wounded, the dog’s tongue will bring you back to health. She believes that if you lost your arm, the dog could lick it, and it could then be re-attached. She believes that if you have _cancer_, let a dog lick you, and you will suddenly be healthy again. When I asked her if she was serious, she said, “Well, realistically, you know. You’d be healthy within a week.” You see, dogs have _magic tongues_. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/52 "2005-05-19T22:00:48Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > My friend got the dog, who followed her out and licked my knee completely clean. Within a day or two, the cut was more or less healed over. And the dog had _acquired the taste of human blood!_ **—dun dun dunnnnn—** ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/53 "2005-05-19T22:11:08Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > My friend got the dog, who followed her out and licked my knee completely clean. Within a day or two, the cut was more or less healed over. And the more I think about this… wouldn’t the cut have healed over in a day or two normally? Or with just having been washed first, with water? I don’t know if the dog’s licking was any better than simply washing the wound. Or, letting it bleed a little before bandaging to wash out any dirt. I’m not saying the dog didn’t do his part to help, however, I have to wonder if it was any better than simple washing. I mean, sure, the dog will do in a pinch, but if there’s clean water available… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/54 "2005-05-19T22:12:40Z")
Please pardon my redundancy in the above post. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/55 "2005-05-19T22:35:34Z")
My paternal grandmother, who was of Czech background, always wanted her son (my dad) to be the first person to call her in the new year. She claimed it was good luck if your first caller was a man, bad luck if the caller was a woman. I’m not sure how the rule was supposed to work for someone like me – would I have good luck if my first caller were to be male, or was the idea to have early contact with the opposite sex – in which case a female would be a harbinger of my good fortune in the just-dawned year? Both my mom (of German, Swiss, and French stock) and dad often invoke the doctrine of “if you talk about someone, that person’s ears will start ‘burning’ as a consequence”. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/56 "2005-05-20T00:52:17Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > I was taught (growing up in Chattanooga, TN) that the greens were for wealth and the blackeyes were for health. > > Up here (I’m in NE Ohio now), they have sauerkraut and pork for new years, but I’m not sure why. If I recall correctly, pork on New Years started in the South. The idea is, you have pork but not chicken because a pig roots forward, and a chicken scratches backwards. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/57 "2005-05-20T01:16:55Z")
When you just barely make it through a yellow light, you kiss your hand and touch the dashboard (some people I know touch the roof of their car) Hold your breath when crossing bridges, going through tunnels. Touch the roof of the car with both hands when crossing bridges/tunnels (not the driver!) If you catch one of those little puffy seed things, you can make a wish on it (we called the seeds “wishes” when we were kids). I love these little ritual/traditions. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/58 "2005-05-20T01:33:39Z")
Never, ever, **ever** , remove the chickenbones from the RPCP. (Reactor Plant Control Panel) Chickenbones are good juju, and when they’re removed the plant scrammed, on its own, three times in 24 hours. Including one double dark (Which means that second reactor plant in the ship was scrammed as well, putting the ship dead in the water.). Don’t touch those chickenbones!!! ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/59 "2005-05-20T01:47:53Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > My paternal grandmother, who was of Czech background, always wanted her son (my dad) to be the first person to call her in the new year. She claimed it was good luck if your first caller was a man, bad luck if the caller was a woman. I’m not sure how the rule was supposed to work for someone like me – would I have good luck if my first caller were to be male, or was the idea to have early contact with the opposite sex – in which case a female would be a harbinger of my good fortune in the just-dawned year? > > Both my mom (of German, Swiss, and French stock) and dad often invoke the doctrine of “if you talk about someone, that person’s ears will start ‘burning’ as a consequence”. Haha - both the dark “firstfoot” (first person to cross the threshold at New Year) and the “ears burning” thing exist here in Scotland too. First New Year visitor should be a dark-haired man, tall if possible, but sadly I never heard “handsome” specified. Funny, why shouldn’t it be a woman, anyway? Oh, and the firstfoot should be carrying a piece of coal and some whisky. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475/60 "2005-05-20T02:24:10Z")
Putting your kayak on the roof rack backwards (stern first) is bad river mojo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-superstitions-practices/304475.md?page=4)