Superstitions Trivia

1. A common superstition that incurs misfortune concerns the use or preparation for use of which foul-weather accessory?

From Quiz Step on a Crack, Break Your Mother's Back

Answer: An umbrella

Opening an umbrella indoors has been a cause of bad luck since ancient times. In Ancient Egypt, umbrellas were used to protect the pharaoh from the sun, so opening one inside was a misuse of that protection and could lead to dire consequences. The Victorians kept the belief, but added the more practical observation that opening an umbrella indoors could damage the home and it's contents.

From Quiz Superstitions Around the World

Answer: You may possibly lose money

There are many superstitions that involve differences between the left and the right. Usually the right side of the body is good, and the left side of the body is bad. Turks believe that almost everything should be done or started with the right hand because the left hand is a sign of bad luck. That could be why you are advised to start your day off "right".

From Quiz Black Cat Superstitions

Answer: The plague

A black cat crossing one's path in that lovely land can only mean bad luck if two conditions are present - if it crosses in moonlight, and if there's a plague in the vicinity. Should these two conditions be present, then it surely means death. Otherwise though, it doesn't say what happens at all. One presumes the people go on their merry way and get home safely. It does, though, seem like a rather clever way of keeping people indoors and out of harm's way should a plague strike the local area.

From Quiz Ooh Err! International Superstitions!

Answer: Nelson

David Shepherd had a successful career from 1965-1979 as a hard-hitting batsman for Gloucestershire. He was always on the chunky side, and resisted attempts at fitness training - the county once booked him into a health farm for a week where he contrived to lose one ounce. As an umpire, he had a long and distinguished career at the highest level - officiating at 92 test matches. He caused considerable mirth by his habit of always raising a leg off the ground and hopping about when the score was 111 or multiples of that number. The score of 111 is the subject of great superstition in cricket circles. Statisticians have pooh-poohed it, but supposedly it is a score on which wickets are likely to fall. Why is it called "Nelson"? The origins of the name are unknown - perhaps a reference to the famous English admiral's loss of body parts, or perhaps to the New Zealand cricket team by that name which had scores of 111 in both its first and last first class matches. Why should 111 be unlucky? Perhaps because it looks like the three stumps of a cricket wicket with no bails, showing that a batsman had been bowled? A strange event happened in a test match between South Africa and Australia in 2011, where "peak Nelson" was reached. With South Africa needing 111 runs to win at exactly 11:11 on the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011, and the scoreboard reading 11:11 11/11/11, the crowd and umpires stood on one leg as a tribute to the great Shep. Shepherd's superstitious nature went beyond Nelson. On Friday 13th he would tie a matchstick to his finger so that he was touching wood all day. (Question by Upstart3)

From Quiz Amazing Indian Superstitions

Answer: Thursday and Saturday

Thursday is considered auspicious, because on Thursday the goddess Lakshmi is said to reside over the earth. Girls born on Thursday are said to bring good luck as they are thought to be a gift from Lakshmi. Saturday is considered inauspicious because in most Indian languages, Saturday is called 'Shanivaar', which means 'the day of Shani', where 'Shani' refers to the Hindu god of bad luck.

From Quiz Superstitions of the Sea

Answer: Jonah

According to the Bible, God ordered Jonah to go to Nineveh to save the wicked people there; Jonah tried to duck out by sailing in the opposite direction to Tarshish. The Lord sent a storm and Jonah was found to be the cause, whereupon his shipmates tossed him overboard. It's pretty obvious how Jonah's name became attached to all those who bring bad luck, at sea and on land.

From Quiz Religious Superstitions

Answer: Good Friday

This was especially so for fishermen. Sailors also believed that taking a piece of hot cross bun with them on fishing expeditions would protect them from shipwreck.

From Quiz Sailor Superstitions

Answer: Friday

Friday has always been an ill-omened day, since that was when Christ was crucified. According to one of the legends, the Royal Navy once tried to put an end to this superstition.

From Quiz Theatrical Superstitions

Answer: Macbeth

The very mention of the name of this play can bring calamity to a production. Actors only refer to it as 'The Scottish play'. Speaking lines of dialogue, especially the witches' parts, is especially dangerous. There are several ways to 'undo' this bad luck, such as spitting, turning around three times, or leaving the theater and knocking to be let back in. Purists, however, will insist on the one true remedy: the offender must be punched in the face hard enough to draw blood.

From Quiz Cats And Superstition

Answer: a frost

Cats, like most animals, are keenly attuned to fluctuations in the weather and other earth-related activity. This particular superstition appears in the pages of "A Dictionary of Superstitions", edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem.

From Quiz Animal Superstitions - Part 1

Answer: to let your bees know about a death in your family

Apparently there is a strong bond between bees and their keepers, and if you fail to do this, your bees will leave the hive and not produce any more honey for you. There are many other superstitions surrounding bees, the most interesting one being that bees will attack adulterers, while a woman who is untouched by man may walk among them without being stung.

From Quiz A-O of Mixed Superstitions

Answer: that your house will not burn down

If you kill the first adder you see in spring, your enemies are doomed, but to allow it to live will ensure your own bad luck.

From Quiz Superstitions of the Circus!

Answer: Two

For some strange reason, people used to (and some still do today) believe that accidents would always come in threes.

From Quiz A World of Superstition

Answer: by spitting on your shoes and not looking back until the saliva has dried

In ancient Egypt the ladder was a sacred symbol. The Death would use it to travel to heaven, while the gods would use it to descend on Earth. Walking underneath a ladder was therefore strictly forbidden. A more common sense explanation is that the ladder in combination with the ground and the wall forms a triangle, and the triangle is a symbol of danger (traffic signs that indicate a danger are always in the form of a triangle).

From Quiz Superstitions of the Theatre

Answer: The Scottish play

Because 'Macbeth' is a tragic play it is supposed to bring bad luck to mention the name in the theatre unless you are performing or rehearsing the actual play. Or if it's mentioned in another play, that's okay too. I know from experience never to say it in the theatre!

From Quiz Superstitions

Answer: no luck at all

From Quiz Interesting Superstitions

Answer: seaweed

From Quiz Step on a Crack, Break Your Mother's Back

Answer: Black cat

In the United States, having a black cat cross your path is definitely a sign of bad luck. The origins of this superstition are unclear, as cats, and black ones in particular, are considered good luck in other cultures. However, if you find yourself in the USA and a black cat walks in front of you, simply turn around and take another way to your destination.

From Quiz Superstitions Around the World

Answer: You will open a pathway to the devil

I tried it at home, but nothing showed up. This is known as an example of the Droste Effect where an image depicts a smaller version of itself, which in turn shows an even smaller image of itself, and so on and so on. It is named after a Dutch brand of cocoa that in 1904 designed a container with a picture on the outside of its container that contained a smaller image of the picture within the larger picture.

From Quiz Black Cat Superstitions

Answer: He was arrested

King Charles I (1600-1649) was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649. That was the consequence of his falling out with Parliament over their attempts to restrain him and his equally determined belief in his divine right to do as he jolly well pleased - and nary the twain did meet. The royal head of Charles bid farewell to his body on the 30th January, 1649. While he lived, however, the king had a pet black cat that he valued greatly, so much so that he had guards protect it 24 hours a day. Whether this was out of love or superstition is unknown, but what is known is that the day after the little moggy finally died, the king was arrested, subsequently put on trial, and, disgracefully, executed.

From Quiz Ooh Err! International Superstitions!

Answer: Manglik

Mangliks are discouraged from marrying non-Mangliks, but the negative effects are believed to cancel out if they marry other Mangliks. India has a culture of astrological compatibility, and even today, mostly in rural areas, people can be ostracized or disowned if they marry someone who is not astrologically compatible with them. (Question by lordingtar)

From Quiz As Luck Would Have It

Answer: Rabbit

The tradition of carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck is so ancient and so widespread that scholars cannot agree on its origin. It is often alleged that the custom was introduced into the United States by slaves brought from Africa, but there are references to carrying a rabbit's foot for luck in Europe that predate the African slave trade. It is even considered a good luck charm in China. In the United States, the left hind foot of the animal is favored; depending on where you live, there may be requirements that the rabbit be killed in a cemetery, or at the time of the full moon, etc., to ensure good luck.

From Quiz Superstitions

Answer: fingers

According to the superstition, bad luck is trapped at the point where the fingers are crossed, thereby allowing good luck to happen. "I'll keep my fingers crossed" is said in response to someone who is hoping for a positive outcome.

From Quiz Me and My Every Day Bad Luck

Answer: a ladder

It is said to be bad luck to walk under an open ladder. This superstition can be traced back to medieval Europe.

From Quiz Little Miss Lucky

Answer: Sailors

In the past, sailors believed that seeing an albatross was a sign of good luck. This may have come about in the early days of navigation, when seeing any bird meant that landfall was getting close. Sailors were unaware that an albatross could stay aloft over the ocean for years without ever touching land. They are even able to sleep while they fly. This symbolism changed after the publication in 1798 of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". In this poem a young sailor shoots an albatross and his teammates force him to wear the dead bird around his neck to atone for his actions. After many and varied tragedies befall the ship, everyone on the ships dies except the sailor with the bird around his neck. Since the publication of this poem, opinions have varied as to whether having an albatross follow you is good luck or bad luck.

From Quiz Religious Superstitions

Answer: The gift of healing

Jesus, in many forms of literature, is associated with light, and in religious literature, with healing and the associated gift of life. Because he gave his life so that all may live, ie he healed mankind of its sins, a child born on this day was also believed to have healing gifts. In some parts of Europe, however, it was believed a child born on Good Friday was born with bad luck. The baptism on the Easter Sunday offset this.

From Quiz Sailor Superstitions

Answer: Clergymen are all descendants of Jonah, the original bad luck passenger.

Jonah was a biblical prophet who tried to flee from his holy mission by sailing to Iberia. A storm overtook the vessel, and the sailors were forced to throw Jonah overboard in order to save the ship. 'Jonah' now comes to mean any bad luck passenger or crewman. Anyone suspected of being a Jonah was put ashore at the first port of call (if they were lucky).

From Quiz Theatrical Superstitions

Answer: Whistling

Actors take this one seriously. It comes from the old days of theater, when stagehands (many of them out of work sailors) would raise and lower scenery in response to a whistled cue. Randomly whistling backstage could result in an embarrassing or dangerous scene change at the wrong time.

From Quiz Animal Superstitions - Part 1

Answer: that rain is on the way

Conversely, if you see bats playing around in the early evening, it's a sign of upcoming good weather. It is also believed by some that a bat flying three times around a house is an omen that there will be a death in the house.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:50 AM

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