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When referring to past good luck the expression is usually used in hopes of the good thing continuing to occur via its spoken acknowledgment, as well as preventing envy. In Egypt, إمسك الخشب emsek el-khashab ("hold the wood") is said when mentioning either good luck one has had in the past or hopes one has for the future.
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In Denmark the saying is 7, 9, 13 / syv, ni, tretten (usually accompanied by knocking under a table), as these numbers have traditionally been associated with magic.Common phrases to accompany the ritual are " God guard us" ( Бог да ни пази Bog da ni pazi) and "may the Devil not hear" ( да не чуе Дяволът da ne chue Djavolǎt). Knocking on wood is often followed by lightly pulling one's earlobe with the same hand. In most cases the nearest wooden object is used (in some areas, however, tables are exempt) if there are no such objects within immediate reach, a common tongue-in-cheek practice is to knock on one's head. Usually people engage in the practice in reaction to bad news, actual or merely imagined. In Bulgaria the superstition of "knock on wood" ( чукам на дърво chukam na dǎrvo) is reserved for protection against the evil, and is not typically used for attracting good luck.People do not actually believe knocking three times on a piece of wood will really protect them, but it is a social habit and it is polite to do so to demonstrate that one doesn't want that bad thing one is talking about to actually happen. In the absence of wood, someone can say bate na madeira, to prevent the bad thing to happen. No verbalization is required, just the three knocks on the closest piece or object of wood. In Brazil and Portugal, bater na madeira ("knock on wood") is something actually done physically, three knocks are required after giving an example of a bad thing eventually happening.Frequently the movement of knocking on nearby wood is followed by da kucnem u drvo / да куцнем у дрво ("I will knock on wood"), or sometimes by da ne ureknem / да не урекнем ("I don't want to jinx it"). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia there is also the habit of knocking on wood when saying something positive or affirmative about someone or something and not wanting that to change.