su·per·sti·tion (s  p r-st sh n)n. 1. An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. 2. a. A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance. b. A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality. c. Idolatry. [Middle English supersticion, from Old French superstition, from Latin superstiti  , superstitin-, from superstes, superstit-, standing over; see st - in Indo-European roots.] |
superstition [ˌsuːpəˈstɪʃən]
Superstition
(See also GOOD LUCK.)
beware the ides of March A warning of impending danger, rarely heard today. This expression alludes to the words of the soothsayer who warned Julius Caesar to “Beware the ides of March.” Caesar ignored the advice, only to be killed on that very day, the 15th of March. According to the ancient Roman calendar, the ides falls on the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and on the 13th day of the other months.
keep one’s fingers crossed To hope for good luck or success; literally to hook one finger over another. The expression, which dates from the first half of this century, may be connected with the old superstition that making the sign of the cross kept bad luck away.
We’ll … duck when we hear a mortar, and keep our fingers crossed. (Penguin New Writing, 1945)
old wives’ tale A foolish or nonsensical story; a traditional but inaccurate concept or superstition. This expression is derived from the fanciful yarns often related by elderly women.
These are the sort of old wives’ tales which he sings and recites to us. (Benjamin Jowett, The Dialogues of Plato, 1875)
Today the expression usually describes a superstitious notion still adhered to by many people even though it has been discredited by modern science.
put the whammy on See THWARTING.
right foot foremost See get off on the right foot, BEGINNINGS.
three on a match Any practice which reputedly brings ill luck, but most often the specific and literal practice of lighting three cigarettes with one match. The superstition supposedly arose among soldiers in wartime who believed that the glow from a match kept alive long enough to light three cigarettes would give the enemy time for careful aim at them as targets, thus quite possibly bringing about their death.
| Noun | 1. |  superstition - an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fearbelief - any cognitive content held as true |
superstition
"Superstition is the religion of feeble minds" [Edmund Burke Reflections on the Revolution in France]
"Superstition is the poetry of life" [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Maximen und Reflexionen]
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