Tudor & Stuart · oath · interjection
gadzooks
gad-ZOOKS /ɡædˈzuːks/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedmid-1600s
A mild exclamation of surprise or annoyance. It is a condensed, softened oath, usually said to stand for 'God's hooks' (the nails of the Cross); 'Gad' is a common disguise for 'God'.
Where it was first recorded
Merriam-Webster dates it c. 1652; Green's Dictionary of Slang has the variant 'Cadzooks' in 1637; Etymonline gives the 1690s.
Also spelled: gadzookers, odzooks, zooks, gazooks
In its own time
Gadzooks, a most ingenious contrivance—if we were to go through with it.
Today
Modern exampleGadzooks, the parking ticket costs more than the lunch did!
Fine to use today for comic, mock-antique effect.
A minced oath on Christ's crucifixion; long since harmless.
Questions
What does gadzooks mean?
A mild exclamation of surprise or annoyance. It is a condensed, softened oath, usually said to stand for 'God's hooks' (the nails of the Cross); 'Gad' is a common disguise for 'God'.
When was gadzooks first used?
It is first recorded mid-1600s — Merriam-Webster dates it c. 1652; Green's Dictionary of Slang has the variant 'Cadzooks' in 1637; Etymonline gives the 1690s.
Can you still use gadzooks today?
Fine to use today for comic, mock-antique effect.
Sources
- gadzooks — Merriam-Webster
- gadzooks — Online Etymology Dictionary
- Slang and its Analogues, vol. III (1893), s.v. GADZOOKS — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
- gadzooks — Wiktionary
- Love for Love (Congreve) — Project Gutenberg #1244
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above