superstitions - do you touch your collar when you see an ambulance?

[bluewolf]

other pointless things: no shoes on table, don't go under ladders...where do they come from and is this actually a mild form of OCD???

No, never heard the ambulance one.
I do salute magpies though!

Shoes not on table is just good sense isn't it? Especially when you see all the dog crap round my way.

I thought the collar thing was a hearse.

I am not superstitious although I do catch myself saying touch wood now and again.

My mum and sister are obsessed with the shoes on the table thing.

No I am not superstitious at all. The only exception is not walking under ladders but imo that is just common sense and nothing to do with superstition.

Ambulance - touch head touch toes

Never go in one of those!
HAve to do the action too, bit tricky when driving!

Shoes on table, yes (that's an Irish one -- a dead body would be laid out on the table in preparation for the funeral and that's the only time shoes would go on the table, so putting them there any other time was felt to be tempting fate...)

Never heard of the ambulance one.

There was a great thread about magpies a year or so ago... I'll see if I can find it.

Thought it was 'don't put new shoes on the table'

Never heard the ambulance one either!

well......new shoes do not go on tables or chairs in my house.

I touch wood

on friday the 13th, I try not to make plans, or even let my children go on school trips (my elder two missed out on a thorp park trip because of that this year[bush])

I do not walk under ladders

I look around frantically for second magpies.

and I say 'bless me' after a sneeze.

DH reckons I am rather too supersticious

I think it's "don't put [any] shoes on the table" -- but realistically in view of dog crap (etc.) issue the only shoes you'd consider putting on the table anyway would be new shoes.

no

I do for a hearse, not an ambulance
magpies are a bit of a bind also

The shoes thing is what my Great Gran used to say and my mum always used to bang on about it!

Are black cats crossing your path lucky? (Thought they were, but some say unlucky!)

I avoid ladders, single magpies and shoes on tables. I also cross myself when I see a hearse and live in dread of breaking mirrors. I also have some half baked notion regarding pictures dropping off walls at 10pm - I picked that one up from my super superstitious Granny who thought it signalled death but I was very wee when she revealed that one to me so I could have got completely the wrong end of the stick.

Double - I think I've got a less energetic version of your proper rhyme.! Shit now I'm gonna have to touch head touch toes instead of just collar. THANKS!

superstitionswww.oldsuperstitions.com/

Crossing on stairs... big no, no. Causes a heck of a lot of hassle at work...

"Hold your collar till you see a dog" is what my nana used to tell us! Is it a Derbyshire thing, or wider spread than that?

Surely staying in on Friday 13th doesn't rule out the chance of "something" happening.

one magpie is unlucky because it means its lost its mate apparently. So you should say Hello mr magpie, go home to your wife! I always take magpies really seriously as they can tell the future ie 1 for sorrow, 2 for Joy, 3 for a girl 4 for a boy...forgotten the rest but when up the duff this became incredibley important

portandlemon - 'nothing new should be worn to a funeral, especially shoes' would explain the 'no shoes on the table'

"Shoes upon the table and a spider's been killed, someone broke the looking glass, there's a full moon shining and the salt's been spiiiiiiiiiiiiilled! You're walking on pavement cracks...."

sorry... got carried away