ye gods

ye gods

English

Etymology

Seventeenth-century British variant of oh my God, probably intended to avoid blasphemy[1][2]. Compare Danish I guder.

Pronunciation

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Interjection

ye gods

1. (idiomatic, dated, euphemistic) Used to express surprise or incredulity.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter 2”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299:

     Would he not far rather lay him down lengthwise along the line of the equator; yea, ye gods! go down to the fiery pit itself, in order to keep out this frost?

Derived terms

• egads
• ye gods and little fishes

Translations

expression of surprise or incredulity

Danish: I guder Finnish: taivaan vallat French: dieux du ciel (fr)

References

1. "Ye gods and little fishes!" (World Wide Words)
2. "Gosh, we can't leave God alone when we speak" (The Electric New Paper News)

Anagrams

• Godsey, dogeys