toi, toi, toi

Meaning

1. (colloquial) good luck; an expression of encouragement
2. (colloquial) knock on wood; a superstitious expression used to avoid the negative consequences of some utterance

Concepts

touch wood

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtɔʏ̯ ˈtɔʏ̯ ˈtɔʏ̯/

Etymology

Attested since the 19th century. Spread more generally through various songs of the 1920s and 1930s. Widely considered onomatopoeic for spitting. Spitting out three times is a superstitious act that remains common in several European as well as non-European cultures. In polite circles this was considered rude and hence replaced with the onomatopoeia. Compare also the idea of touch wood, the equivalent of which in German-speaking Europe is to knock on wood three times.
It is possible, though unprovable, that the specific form of the onomatopoeia might have been reinforced by the word Teufel (“devil”, with the superstitious idea that saying something negative will have a positive effect, compare Hals- und Beinbruch) or by Yiddish טוב (tov, “good”).