horseshoe, black cat, the number 13

[panicmonger]

Hopefully, somebody obliging could help me understand better the connotations of these words: horseshoe, blackcat & the number 13.

Thank you.

 

[Munch]

Horseshoes are considered good luck while black cats and the number 13 are considered bad luck. Not many people take these superstitions seriously these days, but the associations have stuck around.

To me, horseshoes are a bit different to the other two because "good luck" is not the first thing I think about when I hear the word "horseshoe". "Black cat" and "number 13" have stronger connections with "unlucky" than “horseshoe” has "with lucky" (in my mind).

 

[BobK]

But horseshoes only bring good luck, allegedly, if they're hung with the 'Legs' pointing up like a U. So if you try to fix them to a wall using only a single nail, 'the good luck tips out'. That Wikipedia article says:

When kept as a talisman, a horseshoe is said to bring good luck. Many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out...

However, my '...' hides a contrary view. ;-)

b

 

[Munch]

But horseshoes only bring good luck, allegedly, if they're hung with the 'Legs' pointing up like a U. So if you try to fix them to a wall using only a single nail, 'the good luck tips out'. That Wikipedia article says:



However, my '...' hides a contrary view. ;-)

b

Yes, I was going to mention that you have to hang the horseshoe correctly, but it seems to be a controversial issue - where are the experts on folk talismans when you need them? Then I started thinking about black cats not always being unlucky and that they have a strong association with witchcraft, so I decided to keep it simple.

 

[BobK]

Yes, I was going to mention that you have to hang the horseshoe correctly, but it seems to be a controversial issue - where are the experts on folk talismans when you need them? Then I started thinking about black cats not always being unlucky and that they have a strong association with witchcraft, so I decided to keep it simple.

:up: Wise choice A lot of beliefs cut both ways, and related words sometimes derive from diametrically opposed meanings. 'Glamour' and 'grammar' are related, although there's apparently no link between the two ideas. (I don't know whether there's any superstition behind the semantic flip, but still...)

b