Italy's highest appeals court ruled that a 42-year-old workman broke the law by "ostentatiously touching his genitals through his clothing" and must pay a 200 euro fine

crotch-grabbing is a common habit among superstitious Italian males, who believe the gesture wards off bad luck. What does the crotch have to do with luck?

The crotch grab goes back at least to the pre-Christian Roman era and is closely associated with another superstition called the "evil eye"

men would try to block such pernicious beams by shielding their genitals

Men covered their generative organs not only to defend against direct malevolence but also in the presence of anything ominous, like a funeral procession.

The crotch grab or corno might come in handy when Italians come across traditional bad omens, like nuns or the number 17.

Women of the cloth are associated with two inauspicious places—cemeteries and hospitals.