I hope we could get more instructional posts of this type in Farsi. Is it possible to also add some pronunciation markers? When I was studying Farsi a few years ago, in the beginning, they use English script until you learn how to write in Arabic script. Often, unless you know the word already, without vowels, it's hard to know how the word is pronounced.

In English, we do use "knock on wood". I think it comes from the belief that if something is going really well, one fears that it's a prelude to knocking the wood panels of a coffin that you would soon be buried in. It comes from the idea that great events are always following by bad events (whether from 50:50 random chance, or by some mysterious equalizing or evil force).  In the situation that Cyrus describes, a colloquial expression, when a friend excitedly praises your good fortune, you say something like,

"Stop... I don't want you to jinx it".

I often feel that when things are going well, it is 

"a calm before the storm."

Of course, in English, we also have the expression, "the evil eye". So many similarities between Persian and English (though it is no surprise) !

@peachey 

Hi ,yes this phrase means knock on the wood 

"تخته " appears to mean "board". I see that the word for wood, generally, is "چوب". Is the expression still valid if you use "چوب"? Also, does "تخته " mean "board" of all kinds, or just wood?

کمی

Answer to your question

Yes we have the same belief