# exclamation of amazement [non-Christian]



## meijin

A long time ago I heard that Americans find it odd or annoying when Japanese people use the English expression "Oh my God (or god)" because most of them (Japanese) aren't Christians (or don't believe in any god). For this reason I've never use the expression, and have recently learned that similar expressions, such as "Blimey" (BE), "Cripes", "Crikey" (BE), "Crumbs" (BE), let alone "Oh my gosh/goodness", are all euphemism for expressions using God or Jesus Christ. The majority of English speakers who are Christians probably don't mind when English learners who aren't Christians use these widely used minced oaths, but I prefer not to annoy those who do, so I'm wondering what expression I should use when I'm amazed by someone's comment etc. 

The expressions such as "What?", "Really?", "No kidding", etc. don't mean the same as the above expressions, and "Blow me", which is listed among the above minced oaths in a book about British English I have, seems to have a couple of different meanings (e.g. I can't be bothered), so I probably shouldn't use it. Any expression similar to the minced oaths above non-Christian, non-native English speakers can safely use? Below is an example situation where I would want to use such an expression.

_A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.
B: Cripes..._


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## Copyright

_Wow!
_
In other circles, perhaps even _Whoa!_ (as in _"Stop right there and show me that thing!"_)


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## meijin

Does "Cripes..." mean the same as "Wow!" in that context? I thought it meant like "Unbelievable..." or "You're crazy..."
When I look up "amazed" in my English-Japanese dictionaries, I see two meanings. One is "surprised/astonished", and the other is like "I can't believe you did such a stupid thing". Maybe the dictionaries are wrong.


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## You little ripper!

_A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.
B: Get outta here!/You're kidding!
_
Edit: I just realized you wanted a short expression. The suggestions above are probably not short enough.


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## Andygc

No BE speaker is going to object to "Gosh!" Despite its etymology it has no religious connotation in current BE. 

The expression "Oh my God!" is now widespread in Britain too, mostly said by young women ("young" being up to about 40) who have no or little religious belief. It drives me up the wall. "Cripes" is very dated - children's books from the 1950s is about the most recent use. I think "crumbs" is about as up-to-date as "cripes".


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## heypresto

Andygc said:


> The expression "Oh my God!" is now widespread in Britain too, mostly said by young women ("young" being up to about 40) who have no or little religious belief. It drives me up the wall.


 Me too. And especially when the text version 'OMG' is spoken, and pronounced "Oh em gee".


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## dojibear

"Oh my god!" and OMG are very common in the US, among atheists. It is probably a more common saying among people who do not believe in God.

It is very common, and often spoken on TV dramas, so is clearly acceptable nowadays.


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## meijin

Andygc said:


> No BE speaker is going to object to "Gosh!" Despite its etymology it has no religious connotation in current BE.


That's good to know. "Gosh" isn't BE-only, so I can use it in other countries too.



dojibear said:


> "Oh my god!" and OMG are very common in the US, among atheists.


I'm just curious. How do you know that many of those who use "Oh my god!" or OMG are atheists? Maybe your friends, acquaintances, etc. who are atheists use the expression a lot more than others do?



dojibear said:


> It is very common, and often spoken on TV dramas, so is clearly acceptable nowadays.


But would you find English learners from Japan using the expression acceptable too? Are people in the US aware that the vast majority of people in Japan are non-religious or Buddhists?


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## dojibear

meijin said:


> But would you find English learners from Japan using the expression acceptable too?



Yes. If it is commonly said on TV, it isn't offensive.



meijin said:


> Are people in the US aware that the vast majority of people in Japan are non-religious or Buddhists?



I don't think any US people think of Japan as "mostly Christian". Most have heard of Shinto and seen photos of Japanese shrines and temples. Zen Buddhism is famous in the US, and it came to the US from Japan, so is thought of as Japanese. 

I didn't know that most Japanese are non-religious. I am aware that some are Christians, but I've never researched the percentages.


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## Egmont

I have American friends of many religions. I don't think being, or not being, Christian has anything to do with using exclamations that involve God, Jesus, etc. However:

1. Truly devout people of different religions, not just Christians, object to this usage because the Third Commandment is not to take the name of God in vain. It has to more with how strongly someone believes in the Ten Commandments than with whether or not he/she happens to be Christian.

2. It is very, very difficult for a non-native speaker to use exclamations (and to curse) correctly, no matter how fluent that person is in another language. It has been said that, if you learn a language after the age of 11 or so, you will never be able to curse properly in it. Perhaps the reactions you have seen to Japanese people using such exclamations has to do with their using them incorrectly or unnaturally, not with anything having to do with God or with anyone's religion.

(By the way, I have Japanese family members through a son's marriage. One of them, my son's father-in-law, has lived in the U.S. for about 50 years. He's a wonderful person whom I would want as a friend if he wasn't already a relative. Still, he doesn't get this right either.)


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## Truffula

In the example dialog, I would say...

"Wow" if I was impressed, and "Yikes" if I was taken aback.   "Yikes" does not have any religious etymology: Yikes! Where did it come from?   I can pretty much guarantee that "wow!" and "yikes!" will not offend anyone in the US.

I agree with Egmont that the offensiveness of "Oh my God" isn't about the non-religious nature of the speaker, but about the vain use of God's name, so just avoid saying "God" (or "Lord" or "Jesus" probably)  when exclaiming and you will avoid that form of offense.

I also agree with Egmont that it's difficult for non-native speakers to get the context of exclamations right.  But few will be offended if you don't.  It's not expected of non-native speakers.  Avoid the offensive ones and you'll be OK... there are going to be offensive ones if you randomly peruse lists.  Never use "Blow me" with Americans to mean "can't be bothered" unless you want to risk offense, it's pretty vulgar (literally means, _give me oral sex_).  Though most of us would find it more funny than offensive


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## kentix

_A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.

B: Seriously!?
B: No way!
B: Yowza! (not so common, but can be said with a twinkle in the eye for exaggerated effect)
_
My experience with "cripes" (via my father) is more that it's an expression of frustration, i.e. more like _"I can't believe this is happening/going wrong"_ than it is about _"I can't believe the information you just told me."_


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## JulianStuart

Copyright said:


> _Wow!
> _
> In other circles, perhaps even _Whoa!_ (as in _"Stop right there and show me that thing!"_)



(As a point of reference the word "Goodbye" is  contraction of _God be with ye_ 1565–75)


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## Cenzontle

I think your safest choice is "Wow!"  It's easy to pronounce and it's appropriate for various degrees of surprise or strong impression.
I have a female Japanese friend whose exclamation of choice is "Wow!", and it doesn't sound out of place.
For some people, "Oh my god!" is only for extremely serious situations, like someone bleeding to death.

A:  I paid $50 for these shoes.  Can you believe that?!
B:  Wow!  (I don't even know whether you think that's a high price or a low one.)


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## dojibear

meijin said:


> I'm wondering what expression I should use *when I'm amazed* by someone's comment etc.



This expression is common: _Amazing!_

Its longer form is also common: _That's amazing!_


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## sound shift

meijin said:


> "Blow me", which is listed among the above minced oaths in a book about British English I have, seems to have a couple of different meanings (e.g. I can't be bothered)


Well, I've never heard anyone say "Blow me!" to indicate that they couldn't be bothered. My father uses it to express surprise/amazement, but I don't recommend that you copy him, because he's ancient, and I assume that you are not - and in any case, it's a BrE-only expression.

"Wow!" remains too AmE for me, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't use it.

I use "Goodness!" a bit. I don't detect any religious connection.

Expressions are like everything else: It's difficult to please all the people all the time.


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## PaulQ

meijin said:


> Does "Cripes..." mean the same as "Wow!"


It is about 60 years  since I read "Cripes!" "Crikey" or "Crumbs", (Beano 1957, Biffo the Bear speaking to "The Parkie") and I have never heard them said in current English. You can consider all of them to be outdated.


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## heypresto

There's a lovely expression I learnt from an old friend from the north of England, where I believe it's quite well-known: 'Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!'. It sounds better in a Yorkshire accent than my southern one, but I enjoy using it. 

It can be used in place of more or less any of the above expressions. Whether you'll be understood is another matter.


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## You little ripper!

PaulQ said:


> It is about 60 years  since I read "Cripes!" "Crikey" or "Crumbs", (Beano 1957, Biffo the Bear speaking to "The Parkie") and I have never heard them said in current English. You can consider all of them to be outdated.


'Crikey' is still quite popular down here.


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## Egmont

heypresto said:


> There's a lovely expression I learnt from an old friend from the north of England, where I believe it's quite well-known: 'Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!'. It sounds better in a Yorkshire accent than my southern one, but I enjoy using it.
> 
> It can be used in place of more or less any of the above expressions. Whether you'll be understood is another matter.



I like it! However, I probably won't use it because I doubt that more than five percent of the people I might say it to would have any idea what it means.


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## You little ripper!

_Well,_ _tickle my tits_ '_til Friday_! from the movie Shirley Valentine.


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## meijin

dojibear said:


> I didn't know that most Japanese are non-religious. I am aware that some are Christians, but I've never researched the percentages.


I just did a fact check to see if I'm mistaken. According to a survey of 1,200 Japanese people conducted by NHK (Japan's national public broadcasting organization) in 2008, the percentage of respondents who answered "Yes" to a question "Do you follow any religion?" was *39%* (Buddhism: 34%, Shintoism: 3%, Christianity: 1%, Other: 1%).

On the other hand, the percentage who answered "Definitely" or "Probably" to a question "Do you think there is an afterworld?" was *44%*. The results by gender and age were as follows.

Age 16-29: Men 48％, Women 65％
Age 30-39: Men 37％, Women 71％
Age 40-49: Men 40％, Women 60％
Age 50-59: Men 36％, Women 42％
Age 60+: Men 29％, Women 34％

According to the source by NHK, the percentage who answered "Definitely" or "Probably" to the same question "Do you think there is an afterworld?" in 1998 (10 years earlier) was *37%*. This, as well as the results by gender and age above, means that the number of people who think there is an afterworld largely increased during the 10 years. The reason is obvious, spiritualism was very popular during this period, especially between 2005-2008. So, the number of people who are SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious, which I learned from a radio program by ABC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation) increased around that time.



Egmont said:


> 1. Truly devout people of different religions, not just Christians, object to this usage because the Third Commandment is not to take the name of God in vain.


Excuse me if I'm ignorant, but does this mean that they object to exclamations that use "(Jesus) Christ" (which is the name of God) such as "Jesus Christ!" and its variations like "Crikey!", "Crumbs!" but NOT to exclamations that use "God" (which, I think isn't a name of God) such as "Oh my God!" etc.?



Egmont said:


> By the way, I have Japanese family members through a son's marriage. One of them, my son's father-in-law, has lived in the U.S. for about 50 years. He's a wonderful person whom I would want as a friend if he wasn't already a relative. Still, he doesn't get this right either.


That's really interesting and worth remembering.



Truffula said:


> "Wow" if I was impressed, and "Yikes" if I was taken aback.





Cenzontle said:


> I think your safest choice is "Wow!"





sound shift said:


> "Wow!" remains too AmE for me, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't use it.


"Wow!" sounds too AmE for me too. Actually, when I hear other Japanese use "Wow!", I just feel uncomfortable. It just feels the expression doesn't suit them, unless they are very extroverted. I'm quite......introverted. 



kentix said:


> Yowza! (not so common, but can be said with a twinkle in the eye for exaggerated effect)


Didn't know this word!



JulianStuart said:


> (As a point of reference the word "Goodbye" is contraction of _God be with ye_ 1565–75)


Didn't know this either! From now on, I'll use "Sayonara" instead of "Goodbye".  (Just kidding. And, as you know, we don't usually say "Sayonara" unless we think we are not going to see that person again.)



sound shift said:


> Well, I've never heard anyone say "Blow me!" to indicate that they couldn't be bothered.


Maybe that's an AmE usage. Good to know that "Blow me!" for expressing a feeling of surprise is BE-only.



PaulQ said:


> It is about 60 years since I read "Cripes!" "Crikey" or "Crumbs", (Beano 1957, Biffo the Bear speaking to "The Parkie") and I have never heard them said in current English. You can consider all of them to be outdated.


I recently heard "Crikey" in BBC Learning English - The English We Speak / A close shave. They shouldn't have used it.

_Rob: I was cycling into the office and some idiot ran out in the road, right in front of me.
Feifei: *Crikey* - did you hit him?_



sound shift said:


> I use "Goodness!" a bit. I don't detect any religious connection.





dojibear said:


> This expression is common: _Amazing!_


Considering all of the above, I'll probably use either of these. I prefer to use an expression that suits me and can be used excitedly ("!") or quietly ("...").

e.g.1
_A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.
B: Amazing! / (My) Goodness!_ (=I'm surprised!) 

e.g.2
_A: I've just lost 3,000 dollars at the casino.
B: Amazing... / My goodness... _(=I can't believe you did such a stupid thing...)


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## sound shift

PaulQ said:


> It is about 60 years  since I read "Cripes!" "Crikey" or "Crumbs", (Beano 1957, Biffo the Bear speaking to "The Parkie") and I have never heard them said in current English. You can consider all of them to be outdated.


Tony Blair* used "Crikey" all the time. I'm sure I've heard it since his defenestration too, from non-Westminster types, possibly members of my family.

* British prime minister at the turn of the millennium


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## PaulQ

meijin said:


> Excuse me if I'm ignorant, but does this mean that they object to exclamations that use "(Jesus) Christ" (which is the name of God) such as "Jesus Christ!" and its variations like "Crikey!", "Crumbs!" but NOT to exclamations that use "God" (which, I think isn't a name of God) such as "Oh my God!" etc.?


This is not so - "God", is the _name _of God should not be used "in vain1" 

As context, "God" *is *the name of the Christian god - He also has other names (Lord, Yahweh; Adonai, El, El Shaddai, Abba, etc.) all of which are epithets with a meaning. 

The Bible is divided into two parts: the first is the Old Testament, which is basically the history of the area around modern-day Israel in the period prior to the alleged appearance of Christ on earth. In this part, God is most insistent that He is the *only *deity who should be worshiped by the Israelites (basically, the Jews), although there are mentions of other deities. 

The second part of the Bible is the New Testament - this covers the time from the conception of Christ, who is said to be the Son of God by a human woman; His 'death' by crucifixion; His coming back to life (the Resurrection); His going to Heaven, and the events following this until about about 300AD.

In the New Testament, two theological problems arise: Christ becomes considered as a deity, and "The Holy Spirit" (the embodiment or personification of God's power) appears. However, because the Old Testament was very clear on the idea that there was only one God, these three (God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit) are considered to be one 'indivisible' deity, known as "the Holy Trinity". This is a complete paradox and has never been really explained, however, Christians, by and large, accept this to be the case.

The consequence of this is that needless utterance of any of the names or titles of *any *of the Trinity is considered by fervent believers to be objectionable.


meijin said:


> Didn't know this either! From now on, I'll use "Sayonara" instead of "Goodbye".  (Just kidding. And, as you know, we don't usually say "Sayonara" unless we think we are not going to see that person again.)


That is interesting, as that is the meaning of "goodbye" - as opposed to most other languages that only have an expression meaning "until we meet again."



meijin said:


> I recently heard "Crikey" in BBC Learning English - The English We Speak / A close shave. They shouldn't have used it.
> 
> _Rob: I was cycling into the office and some idiot ran out in the road, right in front of me.
> Feifei: *Crikey* - did you hit him?_


 It simply sounds funny.



meijin said:


> Considering all of the above, I'll probably use either of these. I prefer to use an expression that suits me and can be used excitedly ("!") or quietly ("...").
> 
> e.g.1
> _A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.
> B: Amazing! / (My) Goodness!_ (=I'm surprised!)
> 
> e.g.2
> _A: I've just lost 3,000 dollars at the casino.
> B: Amazing... / My goodness... _(=I can't believe you did such a stupid thing...)


"Amazing!" works - "My goodness" seems rather weak and flaccid. Often the full response will be "Oh!" (or other variant or noise) spoken with an intonation of shock, surprise, sympathy, etc.

However, in the real world, I don't think that I have ever heard anyone object to "Oh My God!; Jesus!, etc"

1OED: 6. to take in vain.

†a. To disregard, to treat with contempt. Obs.

b. With name as object. To use or utter (the name of God) lightly, needlessly, or profanely; transf. to mention or speak of casually or idly. A literal rendering of [the Latin] _assumere (nomen Dei) in vanum_ in the Vulgate text of Exod. xx. 7.


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## heypresto

Blimey!


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## PaulQ

sound shift said:


> Tony Blair* used "Crikey" all the time.


Yes, he was always out of touch with reality... 


heypresto said:


> Blimey!


You can't say that! It means "God blind me!"...


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## e2efour

_Streuth!_ has a long-established pedigree. It is said to be a shorter version of _God's truth_, which would hardly be thought offensive.


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## Dretagoto

In Scotland you will sometimes hear "Jings!" or "Crivens!"

(Both are potentially quite old, but I use them because they amuse me).


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## Dretagoto

e2efour said:


> _Streuth!_ has a long-established pedigree. It is said to be a shorter version of _God's truth_, which would hardly be thought offensive.



That's a word I associate almost exclusively with Australians, but I wonder if that's actually true, or I've been persuaded of that by some advertising campaign or other.


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## london calling

heypresto said:


> Blimey!


Yes, I noticed that in the OP but nobody had commented on it thus far. I would however contend that this is very much a London (and surrounding area) thing. I still use it on occasion, but I'm not sure if the younger generation still do. 

It also has religious origins (_God blind me - Gor blimey - blimey)_ although I don't know how many people these days realise that.

Re.: _Blow me!: _I'm not familiar with that. _Blow me down!_ is what I'd say,  but again I doubt very much that it's used by younger people.


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## PaulQ

It won't be long before we get to "Zounds!" (God's wounds)


Dretagoto said:


> In Scotland you will sometimes hear "Jings!" or "Crivens!"


I see you were brought up on "The Broons". The Broons - Wikipedia


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## wandle

In talking to children, to avoid any offence, I use the terms I remember from my childhood, such as 'My word!' and 'Well, I never!'


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## Dretagoto

PaulQ said:


> It won't be long before we get to "Zounds!" (God's wounds)


Or "Zoinks", thanks to Scooby Doo 




> I see you were brought up on "The Broons". The Broons - Wikipedia



Not so (I can't stand The Broons or Oor Wullie), but there's a strong connection with that work and those words, undeniably


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## sound shift

e2efour said:


> _Streuth!_ has a long-established pedigree. It is said to be a shorter version of _God's truth_, which would hardly be thought offensive.


Agreed, but I think it would sound odd from the mouth of a non-native speaker.



Dretagoto said:


> That's a word I associate almost exclusively with Australians, but I wonder if that's actually true, or I've been persuaded of that by some advertising campaign or other.


I think I use it from time to time. I'm not Australian.


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## london calling

e2efour said:


> _Streuth!_ has a long-established pedigree. It is said to be a shorter version of _God's truth_, which would hardly be thought offensive.


It was popular in Australia (I remember it from the 1960s, when I lived there) ,  although I think these days it has become a bit of a joke. Of course, 'strewth' (London spelling) is orginally a Cockey expression.  I was told it came from 'It is truth'.

My elderly mother still says it.


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## e2efour

Dretagoto said:


> That's a word I associate almost exclusively with Australians, but I wonder if that's actually true, or I've been persuaded of that by some advertising campaign or other.



The earliest citation in the OED is from Rudyard Kipling (1892).


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## meijin

PaulQ said:


> As context, "God" *is *the name of the Christian god - He also has other names (Lord, Yahweh; Adonai, El, El Shaddai, Abba, etc.) all of which are epithets with a meaning.
> 
> The Bible is divided into two parts:


About a decade ago I read several books about major religions in the word, so I happen to know most of the things you explained about the Bible, but since they were written in or translated into Japanese, I wasn't sure if "God" was actually a name. I was familiar with the name "Yahweh" and thought the capitalized "God" was simply capitalized to be correctly recognized as the Christian god. (I'm familiar with "Lord" too but didn't know either that it was God's name.)



PaulQ said:


> "Amazing!" works - "My goodness" seems rather weak and flaccid.


If it's sound rather weak, maybe it suits me. What I like about "My goodness" is that it also works in a situation where someone has just startled you, in which "Amazing" wouldn't work.

_A: "Boo!!!"
B: "My goodness!!! You made me jump!!"_



PaulQ said:


> However, in the real world, I don't think that I have ever heard anyone object to "Oh My God!


At least Andy and Heypresto don't like it (see posts #5 and #6), so I'm not going to use it.


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## PaulQ

meijin said:


> At least Andy and Heypresto don't like it


 However, this is not "on religious grounds"


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## heypresto

My dislike of 'Oh my god' is mostly due to it being currently so ubiquitous. It's especially galling when it's pronounced 'oh em gee'.


Crossed with PaulQ, with whom I agree. Religious sensitivities don't come into it.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

I like "No way!" (kentix ,#12); isn't that short enough?


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## sound shift

PaulQ said:


> However, in the real world, I don't think that I have ever heard anyone object to "Oh My God!; Jesus!, etc".


I don't think I have, either, but I suspect that many Christians dislike hearing those expressions.


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## meijin

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> I like "No way!" (kentix ,#12); isn't that short enough?


I liked it, and I know it's used a lot (at least by people in the US). But I thought maybe it wouldn't work in the following example which I posted in post #22.

e.g.2
_A: I've just lost 3,000 dollars at the casino.
B: *No way...* _(=I can't believe you did such a stupid thing...)

Does this work?


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## london calling

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> I like "No way!" (kentix ,#12); isn't that short enough?


Yes, but very American. I for one never say it.


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## sound shift

Yes, your dialogue about the casino works.


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## london calling

sound shift said:


> Yes, it works.


What works?


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## You little ripper!

sound shift said:


> but I suspect that many Christians dislike hearing those expressions.


You'd be hauled up before a judicial committee and reproved if you were heard using _Oh My God!_ and _Jesus!_  in the religious cult I used to belong to.


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## london calling

You little ripper! said:


> You'd be hauled up before a judicial committee and reproved if you were heard using _Oh My God!_ and _Jesus!_  in the religious cult I used to belong to.


I still can't name God or Jesus in vain at home: it upsets my mother.


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## suzi br

Andygc said:


> "Cripes" is very dated - children's books from the 1950s is about the most recent use. I think "crumbs" is about as up-to-date as "cripes".


Spend a day in my company and you'll hear cripes quite often.  I guess repeated exposure to Enid Blyton  has scarred me for life! 

I also wonder who these people are who object to non-Chritians using Jesus-based oaths. Really?  
True-believers are not supposed to swear, so almost by definition the swearing is only ever done by blasphemers or non-believers. 

Say what you want, meijin!


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## meijin

meijin said:


> Considering all of the above, I'll probably use either of these.


I forgot to add "Gosh". "Gosh!", "Oh Gosh!", "Gosh...", etc. will probably work naturally for me in many situations. I like the sound of "Blimey" the most, though (I've heard it a few times in British dramas etc.). 



sound shift said:


> Yes, your dialogue about the casino works.


Thanks. Good to know. But, as you say, it's very American. It sounds too cool for Japanese. 



You little ripper! said:


> in the religious cult I used to belong to.


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## london calling

meijin said:


> About a decade ago I read several books about major religions in the word, so I happen to know most of the things you explained about the Bible, but since they were written in or translated into Japanese, I wasn't sure if "God" was actually a name. I was familiar with the name "Yahweh" and thought the capitalized "God" was simply capitalized to be correctly recognized as the Christian god. (I'm familiar with "Lord" too but didn't know either that it was God's name.)


'Yahweh' is the Jewish name for their version of God. Christians refer to 'God' or 'the Lord'.


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## sound shift

london calling said:


> What works?


Post 44 edited while you were posting.


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## Cenzontle

"Criminy!"
"Cowabunga!"
"Holy cow!" (This one may offend Hindus.)


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## london calling

Cenzontle said:


> "Criminy!"
> "Cowabunga!"
> "Holy cow!" (This one may offend Hindus.)


I've only ever heard the last one.


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## heypresto

From the Oxford Dictionary: *Cowabunga *1950s: first popularized by a character on the US television programme Howdy Doody (1947–60). It later became associated with surfing culture and was further popularized by use on the US television cartoon programme Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987–96).


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## Dretagoto

sound shift said:


> I think I use it from time to time. I'm not Australian.



Oh, I've definitely heard it used by others (and probably by myself at some point) who are not Australian, I just associate it with that country strongly, whether accurately or not.


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## london calling

Dretagoto said:


> Oh, I've definitely heard it used by others (and probably by myself at some point) who are not Australian, I just associate it with that country strongly, whether accurately or not.


It's Cockney, as I said above. The Aussies got if from the Poms who were deported there.

Edit. Sorry, what I meant was is that the UK convicts used it in Oz and it therefore became part of Aus/E.


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## heypresto

And then of course there are the 'Holy . . . ' exclamations uttered (I believe exclusively) by Robin in the classic 1960s Batman series. 

These are a few of the 359 such exclamations listed here:

354. Holy Transistors
353. Holy Zorro
352. Holy Standstills
351. Holy Vat
350. Holy Madness
349. Holy Living End
348. Holy Weaponry
347. Holy Sky Rocket
346. Holy Roert Louis Stevenson
345. Holy Hot Foot


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## london calling

Holy shit, Holy Moses......

And which cartoon character used to say 'Heavens to Murgatroyd'?


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## Dretagoto

london calling said:


> Holy shit, Holy Moses......
> 
> And which cartoon character used to say 'Heavens to Murgatroyd'?



Snagglepuss.


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## london calling

Right. Must have forgotten about him, even.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

1) Aren't "Cripes!", "Crikey (on a bikey)!", "Cheese and crackers!" etc. attempts to _avoid _offending devout Christians?
2) For Protestants, "Thou shall not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain." is the third commandment; for Catholics, it's the second commandment.
3 ) The meaning of the commandment was, I thought, that Christians should not call on their Deity in a non-religious context ("As God is my witness", "I  swear to God", etc.) - ?
4) I wonder which a politically correct devout Christian would find more offensive: "For God's/Christ's sake!" or "For fuck's sake!"


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## meijin

london calling said:


> 'Yahweh' is the Jewish name for their version of God. Christians refer to 'God' or 'the Lord'.


Thanks. I'd been unaware of that until I checked the word in the dictionary before I started the thread. But, come to think of it, I don't remember seeing "Yahweh" in books and stories about the New Testament, so I should have immediately realized it at that time. It's because while "Yahweh" is translated into Japanese using Japanese Katakana characters and is pronounced similarly to the English word, "God" and "the Lord" are both translated using a Chinese character that simply means the uncapitalized "god". A Chinese character that means "(one's) master" is also used for "the Lord".


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## natkretep

You might also see Yahweh written as Jehovah. (There is a hymn that starts, 'Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah'.)


ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> 1) Aren't "Cripes!", "Crikey (on a bikey)!", "Cheese and crackers!" etc. attempts to _avoid _offending devout Christians?
> 2) For Protestants, "Thou shall not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain." is the third commandment; for Catholics, it's the second commandment.
> 3 ) The meaning of the commandment was, I thought, that Christians should not call on their Deity as in a non-religious context ("As God is my witness", "I  swear to God", etc.) - ?
> 4) I wonder which a politically correct devout Christian would find more offensive: "For God's/Christ's sake!" or "For fuck's sake!"


(1) Yes, not only to avoid offending Christians, but also offending _other_ Christians. In other words they are also used by Christians.
(4) As a Christian, I would think the former is more offensive. I still wince when Gordon Ramsay says 'Jesus!' or 'Christ!' as exclamations.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

One can only hope that someone who says "Yowie!" will not be misheard by a devout Jew, some of whom use terms like "Master of the universe" to refer to their Deity. Mishearings and mispronunciations can innocently lead to misunderstandings with unintended conseuences.


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## Keith Bradford

Andygc said:


> No BE speaker is going to object to "Gosh!" Despite its etymology it has no religious connotation in current BE...


Not true, or at least it wasn't 30 years ago.  I once wrote a letter-to-the-editor of a provincial newspaper and had the _Gosh _(deliberately introduced as a naive and slightly sarcastic response) edited out.

But look, Meijin, all round the world, most exclamations stronger than _Well!_ are either obscene, scatological or blasphemous in one form or another.  So you're probably not going to avoid offending somebody.  In general you can take it that virtually every English exclamation beginning "Cr..." is a euphemism for Christ, and every one beginning "G..." (as well as many beginning "S...") are derived from God('s).

Give up your vain search and if you want to use exclamatory words, just avoid the most explicit ones.


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## Truffula

Not necessarily, Keith.

As I mentioned before, "Yikes" isn't derived from anything of either sort (it's either from "yoicks" or from "yipes" -- both mentioned in a link I referred to earlier as onomatopoeic sounds from dogs and hunting).

Also, "wow" is not exclusively American.  See this thread: "Wow!"   British Equivalent   Some British people do say "wow."  So do Australians.


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## Andygc

Keith Bradford said:


> and had the _Gosh _(deliberately introduced as a naive and slightly sarcastic response) edited out.


OK. No BE speaker is going to object to "Gosh!" on religious grounds. A provincial newspaper editor 30 years ago might have objected to naivety and sarcasm. Enid Blyton had one of the Famous Five saying "Golly!" in 1942.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

I wonder whether "Blow me!" mightn't have been an attempt to avoid "(Cor) blimey!" for "(May) God blind me!". - Re #53, wouldn't devout Jews find "Holy Moses!" offensive? - I suppose "Lawks a-mussy!" ("Lord have mercy!") and "Heavens to Betsy!" might have offensive roots, too. - "Gosh all whillikers!" is OK, I suppose, and to express amazement, "Stone the crows!" (adopted as the name of a rock group), although mostly British. - With some of these expressions, one is darned if one says them and darned if one doesn't.


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## london calling

Truffula said:


> Not necessarily, Keith.
> 
> As I mentioned before, "Yikes" isn't derived from anything of either sort (it's either from "yoicks" or from "yipes" -- both mentioned in a link I referred to earlier as onomatopoeic sounds from dogs and hunting).
> 
> Also, "wow" is not exclusively American.  See this thread: "Wow!"   British Equivalent   Some British people do say "wow."  So do Australians.


Yes, the but the Brits got 'wow' from you. I never use it but the younger generation does, so I think it's a pretty good all-rounder.

 Never said ' yikes' in my life: an Americanism as far as I'm concerned.


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## london calling

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> I wonder whether "Blow me!" mightn't have been an attempt to avoid "(Cor) blimey!" for "(May) God blind me!". - Re #53, wouldn't devout Jews find "Holy Moses!" offensive? - I suppose "Lawks a-mussy!" ("Lord have mercy!") and "Heavens to Betsy!" might have offensive roots, too. - "Gosh all whillikers!" is OK, I suppose, and to express amazement, "Stone the crows!" (adopted as the name of a rock group), although mostly British. - With some of these expressions, one is darned if one says them and darned if one doesn't.


I was just adding to the 'Holy..... ' thing. If I were religious I might find 'Holy Moses ' offensive, I agree.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

And then in Joyce Carey's novel _The Horse's Mouth _there's the character Gully Jimson's expression "By Gee and by Jay!" (If I Remember Correctly).


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## Andygc

london calling said:


> Yes, the but the Brits got 'wow' from you.


I think not.  OED:





> 1. Chiefly _Sc._
> a. An exclamation, variously expressing aversion, surprise or admiration, sorrow or commiseration, or mere asseveration.
> 1513  G. Douglas in tr. Virgil _Æneid_ vi. Prol. 19  Out on thir wander and spiritis, wow! thow cryis.
> 
> 2. In general use. Now chiefly expressing astonishment or admiration.
> 1892  H. R. Haggard _Nada_ v. 35  Wow! my father, of those two regiments not one escaped.


The Americans perhaps got "wow" from the Scots. There weren't many Americans in 1513.


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## Juhasz

london calling said:


> 'Yahweh' is the Jewish name for their version of God.



This is not true - or at least, it may be misleading.  _Yahweh _is an attempt at a transliteration of the *tetragrammaton*, the four Hebrew letters which are used throughout (most of) the Hebrew Bible to refer to God.  These four letters are thought to be the name of God, but this name is never pronounced by devout Jews.  That being the case, one can only guess how that name was meant to be pronounced (since Hebrew does not mark vowels).



meijin said:


> I don't remember seeing "Yahweh" in books and stories about the New Testament



And you also won't see the word _Yahweh_ in any Jewish religious texts.  Religious Jews must not speak the name of God, so there's no reason for them to transliterate the Hebrew name when writing in English (or any language that uses the Latin alphabet).  

I would say that the word "Yahweh" is not a Jewish name for anything - meaning, it's not a name that Jews use for anyone.  It's a transliteration that non-Jews use to refer to the god of the Jews.


That was pretty digressive, but my point is "Yahweh" is best used only in academic contexts, where, for instance, the historical transition from the worship of a deity called "El" to a deity called "Yahweh" might be relevant.  You _may_ offend someone if you say "Yahweh," so why risk it?


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## lentulax

Oddly, no-one's mentioned 'Good Lord!' - widely used in the UK, socially acceptable, can be invested with almost any emotion, doesn't sound childish or comic or twee or exaggerated (like 'Oh my God!) and I've never heard of anyone being offended by it ; I wouldn't hesitate to use it in any company, whereas (though I'm not religious and do swear a lot) I would avoid, for example, saying 'Jesus!' unless I was sure I was in equally profane company , because I know it would upset a lot of people.
'Cripes', 'crikey' and 'crumbs' , despite a few people in denial earlier in the thread, must have been heard and read by everyone in the UK in the last few years , thanks to their use by our current Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson ; scarcely an article has been written about him which does not use one of these words , usually in the title (just Google 'Boris Johnson Cripes') - _Private Eye's_ column 'A Message from Boris Johnson' usually begins '*Cripes*!' Of course, he's a buffoon , so don't imitate him.   'Oh my God!', usually asssociated with vacuous young women (sorry, female friends) is also in part disliked because it's still seen (though increasingly widely used) as an intrusive American import (sorry, American friends) usurping our plain home-grown oaths- Boris Johnson himself, in a recent _Guardian_ article, wrote it imitatively as "Omigaaaaad". Do men ever use it ? They certainly don't up here in the north of England.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

lentulax said:


> Oddly, no-one's mentioned 'Good Lord!'



Or "Lordy!" (often pronounced "lawdy!": "Good Lawdy, Miss Claudie!").


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## meijin

@Juhasz: Thanks for the explanations. Very informative.




lentulax said:


> Oddly, no-one's mentioned 'Good Lord!'





ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> Or "Lordy!"


I've heard of these (and also "Good God!"), although much less often than "Oh my God!" etc.


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## london calling

Andygc said:


> I think not.  OED:The Americans perhaps got "wow" from the Scots. There weren't many Americans in 1513.


Well, thanks for that.


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## london calling

Juhasz said:


> This is not true - or at least, it may be misleading.  _Yahweh _is an attempt at a transliteration of the *tetragrammaton*, the four Hebrew letters which are used throughout (most of) the Hebrew Bible to refer to God.  These four letters are thought to be the name of God, but this name is never pronounced by devout Jews.  That being the case, one can only guess how that name was meant to be pronounced (since Hebrew does not mark vowels).


OK, I'm not Jewish, so I'll take your word for it.  In any case here's what Wiki has to say about 'Yahweh' (Jehovah: _Jumpin' Jehovah_?????).  I agree that his name should not be taken in vain, in any case.

Edit. Sorry, I meant 'Jumpin' Jehosophat'. That sounds disrespectful too, however.


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## wandle

Andygc said:


> There weren't many Americans in 1513.


There were many more Americans than speakers of English. North Americans alone probably outnumbered all English speakers, bearing in mind that numbers overseas were very small and that many in Wales, Scotland and Ireland (including, I expect, my own forebears) could not speak English.

For the British Isles, History Today says: 





> A steady recovery from the steep population decline of two centuries of plague was only just beginning. England and Wales had perhaps 2.25 million people, Scotland and Ireland about a third of that number each.


For North America, Wikipedia says:


> While it is difficult to determine exactly how many Natives lived in North America before Columbus, estimates range from a low of 2.1 million to 7 million people to a high of 18 million.


If we add in the rest of America, the disparity is greater still:


> an estimate of approximately 37 million people in Mexico, Central and South America in 1492


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## Juhasz

london calling said:


> In any case here's what Wiki has to say about 'Yahweh'...



I'm drifting further off topic, but that article is written in a very strange style.  For example, consider this bizarre pair of sentences: "There is considerable but not universal support for the view that the Egyptian inscriptions refer to Yahweh. This raises the question of how he made his way to the north."  There is no one in the world who thinks that Yahweh "made his way north" - either people don't believe Yahweh exists (so he couldn't have made any way anywhere), or they don't believe He possibly could have traveled from Egypt to Israel (in that he's God, and that mundane sort of travel makes no sense for a being of such as He).

This is neither proper academic style (which would discuss only the _concept_ of an Israelite and Jewish god, but never personify the concept), nor a properly religious style (which would treat God as God, and not a wandering Egyptian (I mean Aramean*)).  Instead, it seems to be written in the style of a fantasy novel, which seems much more offensive than the academic approach.


*Deuteronomy 26:5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.


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## sound shift

"(Well,) Would you believe it!"

I don't think you'll find any religious references in that.


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## ewie

meijin said:


> _A: I've just bought a one million dollar watch.
> B: Cripes..._


I'm afraid that my response to this, even if I was at the Ladies of Canterbury Cathedral Sewing Circle, would be _Fucking hell!_


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## RM1(SS)

dojibear said:


> "Oh my god!" and OMG are very common in the US, among atheists.


I often say "Oh, good gods" to indicate annoyance or disgust.


You little ripper! said:


> 'Crikey' is still quite popular down here.


It always makes me think of Steve Wossface (the one who ran afoul of a stingray a while back). 


ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> And then in Joyce Carey's novel _The Horse's Mouth _there's the character Gully Jimson's expression "By Gee and by Jay!" (If I Remember Correctly).


"By God and by Jesus," I suppose....


ewie said:


> I'm afraid that my response to this, even if I was at the Ladies of Canterbury Cathedral Sewing Circle, would be _Fucking hell!_


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## kentix

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> 1) Aren't "Cripes!", "Crikey (on a bikey)!", "Cheese and crackers!" etc. attempts to _avoid _offending devout Christians?


I think it's a fundamentally wrong way to look at it. I think those versions are used _by_ Christians to avoid saying things they feel in their heart are wrong to say. So it gives them a way to let off steam, but it doesn't explicitly violate what they've been taught since they were young.


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## lingobingo

An expression I’ve heard repeatedly on British TV recently (admittedly from the same trailer they keep running) is “Oh my days!”. Apparently there’s a good reason why it didn’t sound familiar to me… (5 Newish British Slang Terms from the Kids | BBC America)


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## Roxxxannne

A friend of mine uses "Oh my word!" to express amazement.


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## sound shift

lingobingo said:


> “Oh my days!”


There's also "Oh my life!"


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## ewie

The one I hear constantly is _Oh my gosh!_ Drives me up the effin' wall it does.


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## Nickle Sydney

Holy moly!
Holy guacamole!


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## Cagey

This thread has become a list, which our rules forbid. 
On the other hand, it may be useful.  
I am locking it but leaving it for future people to consult. 

If you want to know whether a single specific word fits one particular context, you are welcome to start a thread to ask about it.  Be sure to tell people that you do not want a list of alternatives. 

Cagey, 
moderator


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