Vocabulary in Context – And the Lucky Number is

for centuries people have had superstitions about numbers.

In some countries the number five is considered lucky; in others it is not.

Four was considered by Ancient Egyptians to be perfect number symbolizing unity, endurance, and balance.

The number 13 has had a bad reputation.

The Romans regarded 13 as a symbol of death, destruction, and misfortune.

It’s considered a bad omen for 13 people to sit at a table.

The thirteenth is not considered a good day on which to begin any new enterprise.

Hotel owners will not usually assign the number 13 to a room.

In Italy, the number 13 is omitted from the lottery.

The belief in the magic of numbers has persisted.