Answers:
Here's an answer from a site called World Wide Words-- there seem to be a few suggested origins, both pagan and Christian (where the wood would refer to the cross). It's an interesting question!
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tou1...
"To touch wood or knock on wood is a superstition action to ward off any evil consequences or bad luck, perhaps because of some recent action you’ve taken or untimely boasting about your good fortune (“I’ve never been in danger of drowning, touch wood”); it can also be a charm to bring good luck.
The origin is unknown, though some writers have pointed to pre-Christian rituals involving the spirits of sacred trees such as the oak, ash, holly or hawthorn. There is, I’m told, an old Irish belief that you should knock on wood to let the little people know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck. There’s also a belief that the knocking sound prevents the Devil from hearing your unwise comments. Others have sought a meaning in which the wood symbolises the timber of the cross, but this may be a Christianisation of an older ritual. It wasn’t always wood that was lucky: in older days, iron was also thought to have magical properties, and to touch iron was an equivalent preventative against ill-fortune.
The phrase itself is relatively modern, as the oldest citation for the British version of the phrase, touch wood, that I can find dates only from 1899. The American equivalent knock on wood is roughly contemporary, with my first example from 1905."
Idioms, Quotes and Sayings.
GOOD SITES WITH ORIGINS.
http://www.quotegarden.com/
http://www.word-detective.com/index.html...
http://www.word-detective.com/backidx.ht...
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/...
http://www.wordorigins.org/
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/...
http://www.wordwizard.com/
http://www.quotationsbook.com/
http://www.quoteworld.org/
http://www.rockwisdom.com/
http://www.great-quotes.com/
http://quotations.home.worldnet.att.net/...
http://www.quotationspage.com/
http://www.online-literature.com/quotes/...
AllGreatQuotes - Famous Quotes and Quotations
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/index.shtm...
make your hand into a fist and gently pound it against wood
The tradition of knocking on wood is in many cultures across the world. As the ancient people entered wooded areas they would knock hard on the trees with a stick to create noise to scare off wild animals and the bad spirits, so they could travel through safely and without being attacked by wild beasts.
I think because wood is considered solid, "the mighty oak."
A long time ago people thought that nomes lived in trees and the nomes whole purpose was to create havoc. So, if you knocked on the trees the nomes could not hear you say what you feared.
When people say something good, other people are afraid that they will jinx the outcome of the situation. So they say "knock on Wood." It is believed to keep the devil away.
I Hope I Helped =]
Knock On Wood is a phrase that was used as a part of old superstition.
This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.
More Questions & Answers...