Please protect my good fortune.' Avoiding number 13: While it’s given inspiration to many a horror film, the number 13, also arises from different tales that give it a notorious reputation! Considered to bring bad luck and suffering, people avoid wearing the number on themselves or even living on the 13th floor! Several hotels also avoid a floor and room by that number.

So when you knocked on the wood, it was like a message saying, 'please don’t punish me for bragging. This belief originated a while ago, when people believed that spirits lived in trees. Knocking on wood: When people brag, you will often hear them say, 'Knock wood,' (if they’re superstitious). It’s said one can avoid bad luck (if you believe in that sort of thing) by walking under the ladder backwards and making a wish. Also, in the medieval times, the ladder was said to resemble the gallows and anyone walking under it was said to be coming face to face with death. Now this supposedly represented the Holy Trinity, and walking through it violated it: a religious faux pas rendering you a devil. The lore goes back to early times when people felt any ladder that leant against a wall, formed a triangle with the wall and ground being the other two sides.

Walking under a ladder: Most folks believe this to be a harbinger of bad luck.