h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's interesting that the luck or otherwise associated with black cats depends on where you come from. In Britain (and possibly in other parts of Northern Europe), black cats are considered lucky. In Mediterranean countries and (I believe) in the USA, black cats are considered unlucky. In both cases it's because of the association with witches. In Britain, a witch (or her familiar) has just crossed your path and ignored you, which is good luck. Elsewhere, any encounter with a witch is bad luck.

The swedish belief is that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, but that you can neutralize the bad luck by spitting thrice over your left shoulder every time this happens. Should you spit over your right shoulder instead by mistake, you will have bad luck for the next 24 hours.

Also, killing a spider will make it rain the next day.

How is it physically possible to spit over your shoulder? Three times!?

I have been experimenting for the last five mintues, and all I can show for my results is shoulders covered in saliva. Smells bad. Real bad.

Actually, you don't really spit over the shoulder, just turn your head to the left and go "ptooey" three times. Or, as we say in Sweden: "Tvi tvi tvi!

Do you mean you actually say "tvi" or is that the noise you make when you spit? Or is "tvi" the Swedish translation of "ptooey" which is the actual sound that you make when spitting? i.e. does everybody in the world make the noise "ptooey" but when writing it down translate it to their own language?

It's a bit like the foreign equivalents of "aaarrgghh!" (or however you spell it - the total number of a's, r's, g's and h's is up to you, but generally is related to the severity of the scream!).

In France they shout "aiieeee!" instead.
Anyone else know of other alternatives?

AndyF

Yeah, what he said.
In Sweden dogs go "Voff". In England they say "Bowow" or something of the sort, if I remember correctly. Same difference.

Hmm. In Britain cows say 'Moo', but in France it's 'Meu' which sound much more realistic if you say it right.

In that case my last Arrgghh! had 6 a's, 12 r's 12 g's and approximately 27 h's and was due to a bad experience with my iron. I also embelished it with several exclamation marks just to make sure the neighbours heard it.

I've always believed black cats are unlucky. Not to me, just unlucky themselves.

Black cats are harder to see in the dark so they get run over more often!

Sad, but true.

Black cats always were unlucky. In the days when people believed in 'witch's familiars' it was common for cats to be burned. Black cats were probably burned more often than other colours of cat, because they were thought to be more likely to be a witch's familiar.

As for black cats getting run over more often, this is very true. We used to have a cat called Houdini, because he was so good at escaping from wherever he was put. Houdini, who was black with a white bib and socks (like his brother, Joey), escaped once too often and was knocked down not far from our house. We had bought both cats a fluorescent collar, but Houdini managed to lose his.

Joey is still with us, being more of a stay-at-home cat. Our other cat, a ginger tom called Bonnington, is too smart to get run over (I hope - knocks loudly on wood!).