Black cats & evil eyes : a book of old fashioned superstitions
(Book)

"First published in Great Britain in 2012"--Title page verso.

Introduction -- The superstitions --Horseshoes -- Picking up pennies -- Walking under ladders -- Spilling salt -- The evil eye -- Moonlight -- Breaking a mirror -- Loose or broken shoelaces -- Never leave a house through a different door from the one used for entrance -- Black cats -- The number thirteen -- The gift of a purse or wallet should always include money -- Parting on a bridge -- Owls -- Never kill a robin -- Never kill a swallow -- It is bad luck to let milk boil over -- Never kill a spider -- It is bad luck to pass anyone on the staircase -- Never tread on a grave -- Never remove flowers from a grave -- It is bad fortune to use scissors on New Year's Day -- Never give a knife or scissors as a gift -- Itching palms -- Lighted candles and evil spirits -- Burning cheeks mean someone is talking about you -- A sudden chill that causes a shiver means someone has stepped over your grave -- If a broken clock suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family -- Wrapping a newborn in its mother's clothes until it has been baptized -- When a dog howls, death is near -- It is bad luck to burn beef bones -- If a bad gets in your hair you are possessed by the devil -- Saying "bless you" when someone sneezes -- A bride must sew a swan's feather into her husband's pillow to ensure fidelity -- Put a pinprick in empty eggshells -- Holding your breath when passing a cemetery -- Never open an umbrella indoors -- Friday 13th is an unlucky day -- Never use a crossroads as a meeting place -- Crossed knives a t the table signify a quarrel -- To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy -- A child's nails shouldn't be cut before its first birthday -- Spitting to ward off evil -- Never choose a redhead as a bridesmaid as she will steal the groom -- Keeping fingers crossed to make wishes come true -- Covering mirrors after a death in the home -- A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams -- Putting salt on the doorstep of a new house to ward off evil -- Placing shoes upon a table will bring bad luck -- Never take a broom with you when you move house -- Never leave a rocking chair rocking when empty -- A loaf of bread turned upside after slicing is perilous -- It is bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on -- Knock on wood / touch wood -- Tying a knot in a handkerchief -- Lightning will never strike a house with a burning fire -- Never light three cigarettes with one match -- Wear a toad around the neck to ward off the plague -- Never bring lilies indoors -- It is unlucky to deny a pregnant woman her cravings -- Never cut an elder tree -- Always stir Christmas cake clockwise -- People who live near the coast can't die until the tide is ebbing -- Accidents happen in threes -- Cutting a lone hawthorn bush will bring death -- Water drunk from a human skull cures epilepsy -- Never speak while a clock is chiming -- Yule logs prevent lightning from striking -- It is good luck if a baby cries at its christening -- Keeping cats away from babies to prevent them from sucking the breath from a child -- Never speak ill of the dead -- Carrying a rabbit's foot to ward off evil -- New clothes should not be worn to a funeral -- To have women on board ship makes the sea angry -- Ravens -- Magpies : one for sorrow, two for joy -- Evil spirits can't harm a person standing inside a circle -- It is unlucky to kill an albatross or a gull as they contain the souls of sailors lost at sea -- The caul of a newborn provides protection against drowning -- A cock crowing at the wrong time is bad luck -- Carrying a toadstone to protect against evil and cure illness -- St. John's wort guards against the devil -- If a picture falls off the wall, the person depicted will soon die.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-183) and index.