There seems to be a widespread tradition in the Music/Arts environment; when someone wants to wish a performer a great success, it is common to wish him/her lots of *"merde"* (a French word, but I believe everybody understand its meaning.

Do you know which is the origin of this curious tradition?

I have one possible answer, but I will like to hear your ideas first...



Note: the * * are to cheat the automatic censor of this site, just in case it does not like the word.

Brilliant, thats a new one to me. i've just been looking it up on google,, could it be to do with people turning up to the theatre in horse drawn carrages in the old days?? And where horses are there's horse *$#* !!! and to step in it was considered lucky???

It comes from the French Ballet; it is a traditional stage blessing.

As you may know in acting wishing good luck is bad luck, so the actors wish each other "break a leg" hoping good luck will come of it.
In ballet legs do get broken. And the French ballet began wishing each other '*merde* with the superstitious understanding the opposite will come of the wish.

My version is different... try again!

That''s really funny. And how much embarrassing!

Tomorrow I will discover my version, so keep posting!.

Anyway the game will continue with a second step.

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Sorry, I meant I will uncover my version.


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A few hints: it is related to horses, yes, in Paris (probably yes) and a very pragmatic reason.....

Ok, I'll have a go... So in Paris there was all these horses, including all the natural consequences(!), and when the ballet dancers rush or stroll towards the theatre, they warn their friends to watch their step by calling "merde" if they see a friend in danger of stepping where a horse has left a heap. (I assume it's a good warning since a slip could actually cause those "break a leg"s too.)

Naturally, if a show is successful there would be an increase in horses, and consequently in "merde"-calls. As time goes by, such calls would start becoming connected to successful shows in general.

Hm... Maybe I’ll start calling “Car!” as a good luck to flutists?

OK. here is my version (of course, I was not there to see with my own eyes...)

In those days the public attending a concert or a ballet or theatre performance arrived in horse coaches. When an event was successful, too many carriages arrived and a sort of traffic jam was generated, making people wait in line until they could approach the entrance door. The waiting increased the horses by-products so that it was not a good idea to walk to the door with those long dresses.

When the public finally entered and all coaches were gone, the horse dung remained on the street. Its quantity was proportional to the carriages quantity and it was an indirect measure of the box-office receipts and of the economic success of the event.

The French word we still use today is not correct for animal dung, but it can be used in informal language.

So if one wishes good luck to an artist, what better to wish him/her a good office receipt?


Which takes us to the second part. Coming in a minute (or two)...

Here's my version:

Some people--really lots and lots of people--actually think merde is a good thing. If not, creatures like Kenny G. would have remained obscure.