touchwood

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

Apparently from touch + wood, but perhaps the first element is derived from torch.

“But he’s rotten as touchwood by now.” “My grandfather used to go to Conjuror Mynterne, out at Owlscombe, and a clever man a’ were, so I’ve heard grandf’er say,” continued Mr Crick. — Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Thomas Hardy
Circling her waist she wore a girdle of touchwood, and attached to it a great skin pouch, in which she kept the charms which she used when she was practising her sorcery. — The True Story Book, Unknown
“He leaned against a willow-tree, and drawing from a gilded box a little dark thing like a stick, placed it between his lips, and then striking a flint on steel made fire and caught it upon touchwood. — Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor, R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

kindling, tinder, spunk, punk

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning