F2F Class Notes April 7th (Ben) [Xiao Qi]

tits up (slang) = dead

Many seamen started working in theaters once they were back on land, using their rope-handling skills. They came with a bunch of superstitions and taboos, such as the words “green, rope, rabbit and good luck”, which were said to bring bad luck on a boat.

This is why actors and other stage-related professions often wish each other good luck with the word “Merde”, the French word for feces, expressing the wish that the theater’s front would be covered in droppings left by cart horses waiting for their patrons.

The answer to someone wishing you ‘merde’ is to say ‘merde’ in return.