MINCED OATH

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | 621 words | Copyright

MINCED OATH. A semi-technical term for a SWEARWORD modified so as to be used without giving offence: God modified to Gosh, shit to shoot. Two forms of modification are common: (1) Creating a nonsense equivalent: (by) God becoming (by) Golly/Gosh/Gum; Jesus becoming monosyllabic Gee or disyllabic Jeepers, and Jesus Christ becoming Jeepers Creepers; hell becoming heck. (2) Substituting an everyday expression of similar sound and length, sometimes with an associated meaning, sometimes with no association whatever: bloody becoming ruddy; damn (it) becoming darn (it); fuck becoming flip. See EUPHEMISM, SWEARING, TABOO.

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TOM McARTHUR. "MINCED OATH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "MINCED OATH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MINCEDOATH.html

TOM McARTHUR. "MINCED OATH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MINCEDOATH.html

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