Touch/touching wood

Touching wood is a ritual or superstition for either bringing good luck or warding off bad luck. Despite etymological attempts to link it to the wooden cross on which Christ was crucified, the origin of the superstition is unknown. Moreover, it is of relatively modern origin. The first citation dates from the late 19th century, while the North American version ‘knock on wood’ dates from c. 1904. See also Wood.