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admin sinfulldude · Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject: General English Superstitions 2

General Superstitions

To stop cramps, carry certain animal bones on your body. Another cure is to lay your shoes on your stomach, across the cramp.

Cross your fingers to make wish. Bad luck is trapped at the point where the two fingers meet so when we cross our fingers, we stop the bad luck from escaping and allow our wishes to come true.

Fingernail clippings must not be left behind. Fingernails can be used to cast spells on their owner, so they must never be left around for the evil spirits to find. They should be burned or buried instead.

An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.

An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.

Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.

Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog.

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.

Spit on a new bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky

If you make a bedspread, or a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will never come to you

Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune.

You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will have bad luck.

When making the bed, don't interrupt your work, or you will spend a restless night in it.

A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise

When a bell rings, a new angel has received his wings.

If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney.)

To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.

Touch blue and your wish will come true.

Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.

A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.

If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

If you sweep trash out the door after dark, it will bring a stranger to visit.

If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.

Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately

If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.

Three butterflies together mean good luck.

If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby

If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.

Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.

A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.

If you get a chill up your back or goosebumps, it means that someone is walking over your grave.

It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.

It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.

To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.

Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.

Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway.

A yawn is a sign that danger is near.

The number of Xs in the palm of your right hand is the number of children you will have.

Two people pull apart the dried breastbone of a chicken or turkey until it cracks and breaks, each one making a wish while doing so. The person who gets the long half of the wishbone will have his or her wish come true.

If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.

A watermelon will grow in your stomach if you swallow a watermelon seed.

A bride's veil protects her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.

If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor. If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire.

Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.

All wishes on shooting stars come true.

A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.

You sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.

If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.

Salty soup is a sign that the cook is in love.

Rosemary planted by the doorstep will keep witches away.

If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to sit in the rocking chair.

A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away.

A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.

A rainbow in the Eastern sky, The morrow will be fine and dry. A rainbow in the West that gleams, Rain tomorrow falls in streams.

If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.

It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.

Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.

A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.

An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.

If your nose itches, someone is coming to see you. If it's the right nostril, the visitor will be a female, left nostril, male.

A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.

Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning.

A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.