burn bread

burn bread

English

Etymology

From the idea that burning bread brings bad luck or is indicative of bad things to come.[1][2][3]

Verb

burn bread (third-person singular simple present burns bread, present participle burning bread, simple past and past participle burned bread or burnt bread)

1. (African-American Vernacular, idiomatic, often followed by on) To cause something unfortunate to happen to (someone) by mentioning it; to jinx something for (someone).
   • 2002 September 14, Chas, “Re: Information on John La Tourrette”, in rec.martial-arts, Usenet‎:

     I don't mean to burn bread on the guy, but if LaT cares to press it, he could be living in a dumpster before he gets too much older.

   • 2006, Tha Twinz, Crime Pays?: The First of a Trilogy, Bronx, NY: Twinz Publishing, →ISBN, page 113:

     “Si, I'll set up the meeting. I want you plugged in with the Cubans. Just in case something was to ever happen to me.”
     Rico shot his brother a scornful. “Listen, I got no problem wit' none a dat shit you talking, but I ain't trying' hear dat' just in case something happen' to you bullshit … you need to stop talking dat stupid shit fo'real. You only burnin' bread on yourself.”

   • 2009, Keisha Ervin, Gunz and Roses, New York, NY: Urban Books, →ISBN, page unknown:

     “Yo' ass gon' get fired.”
     “No, I'm not. Don't be burning bread on me like that.” Gray knocked on wood. “Besides, I've been working my ass off. […] ”

   • 2020, Larry Washington, Insanity with a Twist‎, ebook edition, Xlibris, →ISBN, page unknown:

     " […] I was just playing, but I see you've seen it through, just like that famous lawyer who played mind games on his wife." ¶ "Yeah. Well what happened?" Randol asked. ¶ "He got caught, darling. Be careful." ¶ "Hey, don't burn bread. I'm not like that stupid lawyer. […] "

See also

• knock on wood

References

1. Annie Weston Whitney; Caroline Canfield Bullock, editors (1925), “Omens: Good or Bad Luck”, in Folk-lore from Maryland (Memoirs of the American Folk-lore Society)‎, volume 18, New York: American Folk-lore Society, page 18: “276. It is bad luck to burn bread.”
2. Harry Middleton Hyatt, editor (1935) Folk-lore from Adams County, Illinois (Memoirs of the Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation)‎, New York, page 360, 397:

   7164. If a girl burns her bread while baking, she will have a shiftless husband. 7165. To burn bread while baking foretells that your marriage will be unhappy. […] 7963. If you burn bread when baking it, you will go hungry or come to want before you die. 7964. You commit a sin when you burn bread while baking.

3. Steve Roud (2003), “bread: burning”, in Jennifer Westwood, editor, The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland‎, published 2006, →ISBN, page 46: “It was regarded as particularly unlucky, even evil, to burn bread. Even crumbs were included in the prohibition:”