People are only just realising where break a leg saying really comes from

There's a lot of sayings out there but one of the most popular is "break a leg".

The expression is often used in the acting world to mean "good luck" even though it sounds a little more brutal than that.

Actors and musicians are never wished good luck before hitting the stage, instead it is the popular saying.

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So what does it really mean?

Apparently the expression has been around since the 1920s and over on Twitter people have all kinds of theories to its origin.

It started when the popular account "Today Years Old" shared an image of a tweet which revealed a theory.

The screenshot read: "They say 'break a leg' at auditions because they hope that you end up in the 'cast' *laughing emoji*."

And it didn't take long for the tweet to rack up over 10,000 likes in the space of a couple of weeks.

One person commented: "Bro cracked the code."

While another added: "This is true, I found out three weeks ago and I'm 31 reflecting on all the times people told me to break a leg."

And a third posted: "Omfg," as a fourth chimed in: "Wait."

Although that theory stumped many people on Twitter and had them chuckling, it's actually not the case at all.

Another person on social media revealed a possible meaning for the saying.

They wrote: "I thought it was because wishing someone good luck before a performance actually gave them bad luck.

"So people said break a leg to give them good luck?"

A user who has been working in theatre for six years claimed it's so you "want to enter stage with so much energy you break a leg".

But according to a theatre company, there's a reason behind the common expression.

Transcendence Theatre Company said: "In the early years of theatre, this is where ensemble actors were queued to perform.

"If actors were not performing, they had to stay behind the 'leg line' which also meant they wouldn't get paid.

"If you were to tell the actor to 'break a leg,' you were wishing them the opportunity to perform and get paid."

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