The theatrical expression to "break a leg" is a frequently used backstage salute that means "good luck." For Michael McKean, the "Spinal Tap" actor who was recently appearing in the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's "The Best Man," the idiom became literal this week when he was struck by a vehicle in New York and ended up in the hospital with a broken leg and facial lacerations.
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times at 12:52PM on May 24, 2012