Another theory claims the origin to be a threefold warning of the devil (Teufel, pronounced as TOY-fell) in German (n.b.
Also from Rotwelsch tof and from Yiddish tov ("good", derived from the Hebrew טוב and with phonetic similarities to the Old German tiuvel "Devil").
[5] An alternate operatic good luck charm originating from Italy is the phrase In bocca al lupo!
Amongst actors "Break a leg" is the usual phrase, while for professional dancers the traditional saying is merde (French, meaning "shit").
In Spanish, the phrase is mucha mierda, or "lots of shit", as in Portuguese (“muita merda”).