every century

Old Oaths and Exclamations

Zounds, gadzooks, strewth: the exclamations English speakers used when they could not say what they meant — most of them softened forms of older, stronger oaths.

Shown: Merry Company on a Terrace — Jan Steen, ca. 1670 · The Met, public domain

mid-1300sMarryoath · interjectionAn oath 'by Mary', the Virgin Mary's name worn down by constant use. It could mean 'indeed!' or 'truly!', add emphasis, or express surprise; by Shakespeare's day it was a very common interjection.
1575by Joveoath · interjection (phrase)An exclamation of surprise or emphasis. Originally a real oath by Jove (Jupiter, chief of the Roman gods); it then served as a safe stand-in for 'by God', and became a stock phrase of the Victorian and Edwardian English gentleman.
by 1592zoundsoath · interjectionAn exclamation of anger or surprise. It is a softened (minced) form of the oath 'God's wounds!', referring to the wounds of Christ on the Cross.
c. 1597'sbloodoath · interjectionAn old oath of anger or astonishment, short for 'God's blood', referring to the blood of Christ. The initial 'S is all that is left of 'God's'.
c. 1600(as “God's bodykins”)odsbodikinsoath · interjectionAn archaic exclamation of surprise. It is usually explained as softening 'God's body': 'ods' disguises 'God's' and 'bodikins' is a pet form of 'body' (Farmer & Henley: 'God's little body'). A minority view reads 'bodkins' as the nails of the Cross.
mid-1600sgadzooksoath · interjectionA 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'.
1673egadoath · interjectionA mild exclamation of surprise, emphasis or annoyance. A softened oath whose second part is 'God' (as 'Gad'); the first part is uncertain — perhaps 'ah' or 'oh', or 'I'.
1686(as “jemminy”)Jiminyoath · interjectionA mild exclamation of surprise. It developed from the older oath 'Gemini!' and is generally explained as a disguised 'Jesu Domine' or 'Jesus'; the extended 'Jiminy Cricket' (by 1848) is likewise a euphemism for 'Jesus Christ'.
1826crikeyoath · interjectionAn exclamation of astonishment. Victorian slang dictionaries all explain it as a disguised form of 'Christ!' — Hotten calls it a 'profane exclamation of astonishment'. Today it is mild and especially associated with British and Australian speech.
1845Great Scottoath · interjectionAn exclamation of surprise or dismay. Its origin is uncertain: it is usually taken as a stand-in for 'Great God!', and 19th-century writers linked it to the famous (and very large) US general Winfield Scott; other theories are unproven.
1883(as “blimy”)blimeyoath · interjectionAn exclamation of surprise, disbelief or exasperation. It is a worn-down form of the working-class oath '(God) blind me!'.
1883(as “struth”)strewthoath · interjectionA mild oath expressing surprise or adding emphasis. It is a clipped form of 'God's truth!'. Common in late-Victorian British slang and later strongly associated with Australia.
1891gorblimeyoath · interjectionA Cockney exclamation of surprise, anger or emphasis, representing a street pronunciation of 'God blind me!'. Ware called it 'a gutter phrase'.