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Superstitions

Guess these things that are considered to bring good or bad luck.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: July 30, 2018
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First submittedAugust 13, 2013
Times taken70,378
Average score72.7%
Rating4.31
4:00
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 / 22 guessed
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Hint
Answer
Bad luck if one crosses your path
Black Cat
Bad luck to walk underneath one
Ladder
This animal's foot is good luck
Rabbit
Knock on it to avoid a jinx
Wood
Breaking one = seven years bad luck
Mirror
Unlucky day / number combination
Friday the 13th
Time of day to make a wish
11:11
Used by Native Americans to
prevent nightmares
Dreamcatcher
Throw this food at newlyweds
to ensure fertility
Rice
Horse equipment that's good luck
Horseshoe
If this animal sees his shadow, it's
six more weeks of winter
Groundhog
Hint
Answer
Bad luck to spill this, unless you toss
some over your shoulder afterwards
Salt
Bad luck to open one indoors
Umbrella
Don't say "good luck" at a theater.
Say this instead.
Break a Leg
Good luck to find a four-leaf one
Clover
Play whose name isn't said by actors
Macbeth
Kiss this stone to get the gift of gab
Blarney Stone
When you see one in the sky, make a wish
Shooting Star
Bad luck for a sailor to kill this type of bird
Albatross
Good luck to find one of these heads up
Penny
Bad luck to bring an old one to a new home
Broom
England will stand as long as these
animals remain in the Tower of London
Ravens
+10
Level 60
Oct 31, 2013
So there aren't hippos in the Tower of London?
+8
Level 90
Oct 31, 2013
Nor lions, nor unicorns, apparently.
+3
Level 74
Nov 19, 2013
Also, an April Fool's Day newspaper story a couple of years ago involved archaeologists digging up unicorn remains in the Tower of London.
+2
Level 49
Feb 11, 2016
Unicorns are the national animal of Scotland, if my memory serves.
+2
Level 63
Aug 10, 2016
I tried lions first. But then I remembered that there were quite a few ravens when I've visitted so that was my second guess.
+6
Level 71
Sep 18, 2017
There was a Polar Bear kept at the Tower of London once. It used to swim in a section of the Thames.
+2
Level 66
Oct 24, 2018
Technically there might be hippos (or lions, or unicorns) in the Tower of London, but their continued residence is not required for England to stand.
+1
Level 68
Aug 25, 2020
Only Henrietta R. Hippo.
+1
Level 58
Oct 31, 2013
My kids do the 11.11 thing, that's where I know it from, never heard it before that though. Didn't know the broom one or the baseball one, but the rest was fun!
+5
Level 13
Nov 6, 2013
is it bad luck to bring a swiffer wet jet from a yard sale home?
+6
Level 92
May 13, 2016
I think it's bad luck to actually say "swiffer wet jet." It certainly makes it so no one can take you seriously.
+1
Level 44
May 13, 2016
lol
+4
Level 59
Oct 24, 2018
Swiffer wet jet Emoji Movie was a good movie Swiffer wet jet
+1
Level 28
Jan 25, 2014
Yay Macbeth
+5
Level 75
May 15, 2014
"The Scottish Play"
+1
Level 32
Jul 6, 2014
Meteor should also be accepted in addition to Shooting Star.
+2
Level 71
Sep 18, 2017
"Catch a Meteor and put it in your pocket?"........ no doesn't sound right.
+4
Level 14
Oct 18, 2014
Add Step On A crack to break your mamas back AND add Step On A line to break your Daddy's spine
+3
Level 17
Dec 24, 2014
pretty ironic that I got 13/23, must be my lucky day!
+1
Level 52
Dec 31, 2014
All I could think of was the curse of Billy Penn because I'm a Phillies fan! Screw the Red Sox!
+7
Level 77
Mar 26, 2015
What about "magic man in the sky that you have to pray to every day"
+4
Level 69
Sep 1, 2016
I'm really surprised that hasn't started a fight yet.
+2
Level 83
Aug 7, 2015
"Meteor" for "shooting star"?
+2
Level ∞
Nov 6, 2015
Okay
+2
Level 69
May 13, 2016
I know it's a punishment to those who write it correctly, but it's so frustrating to have written Albatros and then see the right answer. Also, as far as I'm concerned, at a theater you should say 'merde' to the actors
+1
Level 71
May 13, 2016
Never heard of a 'Dreamcatcher' , surprised so many got it.
+2
Level 66
May 13, 2016
Got this thanks to Stephen King!
+3
Level 82
May 13, 2016
I saw a store selling them recently in Thessaloniki, so it's not just an American thing.
+5
Level 60
May 15, 2016
You mean, of course, that cultural appropriation is not just an American thing, because dreamcatchers absolutely originate from the Ojibwe group of Native Americans. They were also not always used as panaceas for nightmares - when the hoops migrated out to other plains tribes they used them as targets.
+1
Level 63
Aug 10, 2016
I own one. I'm pretty sure you can get them pretty much anywhere. I also made one with wire, screws, springs and nails. Wouldn't guarantee that that one catches bad dreams but it was a gift for someone who wanted such a thing.
+3
Level 69
Sep 1, 2016
Okay, Kestrana, I bought my dreamcatcher ON a reservation, so I'm guessing they were totally cool with them being culturally appropriated. Since they're apparently for sale on EVERY reservation, maybe you should be angry at all the other tribes for culturally appropriating from the Ojibwa, rather than those of us who try to support Native craftspeople by buying their wares directly from them.
+12
Level 82
Sep 12, 2016
Remember folks: the exchange of ideas between cultures is an evil thing. Especially if those ideas evolve and change over time when being fused with cultural traditions of the new host culture. Everyone should just stick to their own kind.
+10
Level 82
Feb 5, 2018
Culture cannot be owned and therefore cannot be appropriated.
+5
Level 75
Oct 24, 2018
Years ago my mom bought some beads from an Ojibwa woman selling them in Canada and when she got home she noticed a tag on them which said, "Made in China". Is that cultural appropriation?
+2
Level 69
May 13, 2016
Thank you Blackadder, for MAcbeth
+1
Level 45
May 13, 2016
wibble :)
+1
Level 61
Oct 24, 2018
Lol :-)
+1
Level 76
May 13, 2016
Hot Potato Orchestra Stalls Puck Will Make Amends
+1
Level 84
Feb 21, 2017
Baldrick, is that you?
+2
Level 75
May 3, 2021
NURSIE: "You're having so many good ideas today, you'd better watch out your foot doesn't fall off!"

QUEENIE: "Is that what happens if you have lots of good ideas, your foot falls off?"

NURSIE: "Yes - my brother had a good idea of cutting his toenails with a scythe, and his foot fell off."

- Blackadder II, kinda sums up a lot of these superstitions...

+2
Level 73
May 13, 2016
Can you accept coin for Penny and just 13 for the unlucky day/number combination
+4
Level 83
Feb 6, 2018
Agreed on coin, but seeing as it specifies that you have to provide the day, just 13 shouldn't be accepted.
+1
Level 62
Sep 19, 2020
But then remove number combination, because you don't say "I have Friday the 13th bananas"
+2
Level 76
May 13, 2016
I tried coin for penny, can this be accepted? After all, if you find a £2 coin instead of a penny, that's better luck
+1
Level 66
Jul 21, 2019
I tried coin, quarter, cent..
+1
Level 65
May 13, 2016
It's so interesting to me that our society still has these nonsensical traditions and superstitions. I guess it's good that we don't take them too seriously.
+1
Level 75
May 13, 2016
In my husband's family, they never drink milk while eating fish. The first time I tried it, my MIL calmly picked up my glass and removed it from the table. First time I'd ever heard of that superstition.
+3
Level 63
Aug 10, 2016
Why would you drink milk while eating fish? Doesn't Sound very appealing to me.
+2
Level 75
May 3, 2017
I know lots of people who drink milk while eating fried catfish - milk is fine with the breaded fish and the usual sides of hushpuppies, coleslaw, fries, white or baked beans, raw onions, and pickled green tomatoes. I agree milk doesn't go with grilled or baked salmon, cod, etc.
+2
Level 71
Sep 18, 2017
I drink milk with fish sometimes and nobody is going to take my glass and remove it. What sort of a bombastic bastard does that.
+1
Level 48
Oct 24, 2018
is that anything to do with kosher? i know in Jewish kitchens they have plates, dishes, utensils etc for all manner of specific foods
+3
Level 75
Oct 24, 2018
Nope, my maw-in-law was a Baptist. The older ones in their family believed if you drink milk while eating fish you could die. She thought she was protecting me. (And she was a very intelligent woman. No idea where the idea came from but it had been handed down from earlier generations. Probably someone saw a person die while eating fish with milk and made a wrong conclusion.)
+1
Level 71
Dec 29, 2019
And she was a very intelligent woman.......... yeah right.
+1
Level 59
Dec 21, 2019
What about poaching fish in milk, to make fish pie?
+1
Level 4
May 13, 2016
11:34... Welcome to Hell! :D
+1
Level 48
May 3, 2017
I get it!
+1
Level 69
Sep 1, 2016
I totally misunderstood the what to say at a theatre clue! I was thinking for some reason that it applied to the audience, not the performers, and that it might have to do with Abraham Lincoln (who was of course killed in a theatre). But then I couldn't think of what you might say instead – "Enjoy the play"? Derp.
+6
Level 84
Feb 21, 2017
Never heard of the broom one. I tried mother-in-law.
+1
Level 75
May 3, 2017
I'd never heard that one, either, but I thought of, "A new broom sweeps clean," and tried it. (I'm an old mother-in-law, BTW, and you may be right.) :)
+1
Level 79
Oct 31, 2021
What have you against your mother-in-law?
+2
Level 48
May 3, 2017
With time running out I tried 'never bring an old BRIDE into a new home'. I admit I did not expect it to work.
+1
Level 66
Jul 21, 2019
I tried dog and grandmother..
+2
Level 82
Feb 5, 2018
Are crows not close enough to ravens?
+6
Level 83
Feb 6, 2018
No.
+5
Level 82
Jun 28, 2019
Alright. Nevermore.
+1
Level 82
Oct 31, 2021
I feel like you only asked the question in order to post that response to the inevitable replies.
+1
Level 82
Oct 31, 2021
if that were the case I'd think I would have done it sooner than a year and a half later.
+2
Level 66
Jul 12, 2018
I have never heard the broom one... which makes me wonder why I got it on my first guess.
+5
Level 88
Jul 14, 2018
Don't you know it's bad luck to be superstitious?
+1
Level 77
Oct 24, 2018
Then why did I (who am not superstitious at all) do so badly in this quiz?
+1
Level 85
Jul 30, 2018
The ravens live *at* the Tower of London, not *in* the Tower of London. Their aviary is outdoors.
+5
Level 63
Jul 31, 2018
The Tower of London is anything within its walls. You're probably thinking about the White Tower.
+2
Level 42
Aug 10, 2018
tried "merde" before I tried "break a leg," lmao
+3
Level 83
Oct 24, 2018
"This animal's foot is good luck"

Not for the poor animal who lost his foot...

+3
Level 48
Oct 24, 2018
you don't see any 3 legged bunnies hopping around, do you ?
+3
Level 66
Jul 21, 2019
exactly.. so they are dead, which I wouldnt call good luck..
+2
Level 65
Aug 15, 2019
Marketing! What else were they going to do with discarded rabbits feet? Say there lucky! Great Idea Phil...
+4
Level 80
Oct 24, 2018
In the UK at least it can be considered good luck to meet a black cat. Whether it's good or bad seems to depend on the circumstances of the meeting.
+1
Level 75
May 3, 2021
Yeah I can never remember if it's supposed to be good or bad, or if it depends on whether the cat crosses right in front of you or something.
+1
Level 68
Oct 16, 2021
Yep, Berney, I spent my English childhood running onto paths that black cats were crossing.
+3
Level 66
Oct 24, 2018
No big deal, but "shoe" not accepted for "horseshoe"?
+2
Level 46
Oct 26, 2018
Picking up a penny in general is good luck, does not matter the orientation. "See a penny pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. See a penny, let it lie, all day long you'll wonder why."
+1
Level 59
Dec 27, 2018
It's 12.34.
+1
Level 57
Jul 17, 2019
this was a really good quiz!
+2
Level 64
Dec 29, 2019
Fun fact.

In Italy if you want to say "good luck" in a theatre, you have to say "merda" three times which literally means "sh*t"

+6
Level 71
Dec 29, 2019
Bad luck to bring an old one to a new home ...... I would say 'Gorilla'
+3
Level 82
Sep 19, 2020
also containers of nuclear waste.
+1
Level 31
May 15, 2020
I got 14/22 even though I'm from a very different culture than the States or UK, interesting to see how wide these have spread! We have probably seen them in movies and tv shows
+1
Level 22
Nov 8, 2020
I always thought the time was 1:11
+1
Level 71
Feb 15, 2021
Can you accept Punxsutawney Phil for the groundhog's day one? He has a name, you know.
+2
Level 82
Apr 7, 2021
Or just answer groundhog.
+1
Level 70
Oct 31, 2021
A number of places have a resident weather predicting groundhog. I prefer getting my weather from the local one.
+1
Level 60
May 3, 2021
The original name for bear was considered to be bad luck to utter, so it was called bear, which was Old English for "brown". However, this resulted in the original name for bear being lost to history.
+1
Level 64
Oct 31, 2021
Nice quiz to come across on Hallowe'en ;)

I knew most of these from my grandmother, who always said she was not superstitious at all (bless, she was the most superstitious person I knew. Though optimistic - for her, black cats were good, not bad, luck). But when she bought my parents a cake knife one time, she said she also had to give my Mum a coin, to pay for the bad luck of the blade to go away. I've not come across this tradition anywhere else, is it mebbe just a UK thing?

+1
Level 60
Oct 31, 2021
Black cats are considered lucky in many parts of the world (parts that aren't the US, obvs).
+1
Level 86
Nov 1, 2021
Absolute truth - Saturday night I broke a mirror and Sunday afternoon a black cat ran in front of my car. Good think I'm not superstitious or I'd be home in bed with the covers over my head.
+1
Level 29
Nov 2, 2021
I have always called them woodchucks
+1
Level 35
Mar 13, 2022
Briefly could not remember what everyone else said before going on stage because all I could think of was my aussie theatre kid days of 'Chookas', got there in the end though!
+1
Level 67
Apr 28, 2023
16
+1
Level 50
Mar 26, 2024
can't accept "shoe" for horseshoe? Kind of already implied that it's for a horse...no?