Significado
To perform a gesture to ward off bad luck.
Contexto cultural
In Naples, 'toccare ferro' is often replaced or supplemented by 'fare le corna' or touching a 'curniciello' (a small red horn). The city is the capital of Italian scaramanzia. Players and fans will never celebrate a victory before the match ends. Mentioning a win early requires an immediate 'tocca ferro'. Like the English 'Break a leg', Italians have their own rules. Saying 'Buona fortuna' is actually bad luck; they say 'In bocca al lupo' and might touch iron secretly. Even in modern Milanese offices, you'll see executives touch their metal pens or desk legs during optimistic projections.
The Key Trick
If you are in a room with only wooden furniture, reach for your house keys. They are almost always made of iron/steel and count for the gesture!
Don't touch wood!
Touching wood while saying 'toccare ferro' will make Italians laugh. It's a classic 'foreigner' mistake.
Significado
To perform a gesture to ward off bad luck.
The Key Trick
If you are in a room with only wooden furniture, reach for your house keys. They are almost always made of iron/steel and count for the gesture!
Don't touch wood!
Touching wood while saying 'toccare ferro' will make Italians laugh. It's a classic 'foreigner' mistake.
Ponte a prueba
Qual è il materiale corretto da toccare in Italia per scaramanzia?
Se vuoi evitare la sfortuna, devi toccare...
In Italy, iron (ferro) is the traditional material for warding off bad luck, unlike many other cultures that use wood.
Completa la frase con la forma corretta del verbo 'toccare'.
Speriamo che non piova domani, ________ ferro!
The imperative 'tocca' is used here to command or suggest the action to a friend.
In quale di queste situazioni è appropriato dire 'tocchiamo ferro'?
Scegli la situazione corretta:
You touch iron after boasting about good luck or a lack of problems to prevent a 'jinx'.
🎉 Puntuación: /3
Ayudas visuales
Italian Luck Symbols
Objects
- • Ferro di cavallo
- • Cornetto rosso
- • Quadrifoglio
Banco de ejercicios
3 ejerciciosSe vuoi evitare la sfortuna, devi toccare...
In Italy, iron (ferro) is the traditional material for warding off bad luck, unlike many other cultures that use wood.
Speriamo che non piova domani, ________ ferro!
The imperative 'tocca' is used here to command or suggest the action to a friend.
Scegli la situazione corretta:
You touch iron after boasting about good luck or a lack of problems to prevent a 'jinx'.
🎉 Puntuación: /3
Preguntas frecuentes
2 preguntasUsually, you say the whole phrase 'tocca ferro', but in a hurry, just touching metal and making a face is enough.
No, it's purely folk superstition (scaramanzia), though many religious people do it too.
Frases relacionadas
fare le corna
similarTo make the horn sign with the hand.
in bocca al lupo
similarGood luck (literally: in the mouth of the wolf).
scaramanzia
builds onThe general concept of superstition.
