Gorblimey

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An exclamation expressing sudden surprise, shock, or astonishment
2. A cry of wonder or disbelief uttered in response to something unexpected or remarkable
3. An interjection conveying amazement or startled reaction to something astounding

Etymology: "Gorblimey" is a Cockney pronunciation of "God blind me!", an exclamation of surprise or indignation. The word is a euphemism: people who wanted to swear without taking the Lord's name in vain (breaking the third commandment) bent the oath into a form that sounded harmless, much as "strewth" stands in for "God's truth" and "zounds" for "God's wounds." The swap works because the sound shifts are typical of London working-class speech. The "God" becomes "gor," the "blind" is pronounced with a dropped final consonant, and the phrase slurs into a single lively interjection that could be shouted without anyone quite hearing blasphemy. The same impulse produced a family of oaths in older English, in which sacred words were worn down until their original meaning was hidden.

Synonyms: blimey, crikey