on 4/4/07 11:01 AM, MC Ward at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Barry, I'd guess that "what the fudge" is a polite
> expression of "what the fuck," and, just as "jeezum
> crow" replaces "Jesus Christ," it allows for swearing
> without actually doing so. (I grew up Catholic and my
> young coreligonists and I used to argue about how
> close you could get to swearing--and thus to
> sinning--with such "polite" expressions.) My favorite
> is "jeez Louise."
>
> Candice
Yes, and in Elizabethan drama, 'sblood' for 'God's blood'.
And in Australian, 'k'n'oath'... (seldom found in print)
Max
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