Buzz
When struck with amazement, people often exclaim 'Wow!', 'Oh!', or 'Holy cow!' However, since shock and awe are universal emotions, English boasts a rich array of expressions for such moments. If you're prone to being startled or simply want alternatives to phrases like 'By the hammer of Thor!' or 'Damn!', dive into these vintage outbursts.
1. and 2. Gup and Gip
In the 1500s, gup was a term used angrily toward horses. Over time, like many exclamations, it evolved to express surprise. The word gip has also been used to convey similar meanings.
3. Holy Pretzel
As demonstrated by Burt Ward’s iconic portrayal of Robin in the 1960s, almost any word can become an exclamation of surprise when paired with holy, even this crunchy snack. Green’s Dictionary of Slang (GDoS) documents this phrase in Frederick Kohner’s 1963 novel The Affairs of Gidget: 'Holy pretzel! My face turned as red as paprika.'
4. I'll Be Jitterbugged
Green's Dictionary notes that Claude McKay employed this expression
5. Stiffen the Wombats
Several peculiar Australian exclamations highlighted in Sidney J. Baker’s 1945 book The Australian Language are worth reviving: 'Here are some well-established variations on the theme to prove we haven’t been idle even in simple matters: speed the wombats! stiffen the lizards! stiffen the snakes! and stiffen the wombats!'
6. and 7. My Elbow and My Wig
Green's Dictionary notes my elbow has been used in the UK since the early 1900s as a euphemistic alternative to 'My ass!' This makes sense, as these two body parts are often humorously confused. A related phrase is 'My wig!' Sometimes people expand it to 'My wig and whiskers!' or 'My wigs and eyes!' The shorter version appeared in Charles Dickens’s 1848 novel Oliver Twist: '‘Oh my wig, my wig!’ exclaimed Master Charles Bates.'
8. Piminy
Many of these expressions are minced oaths, substituting more acceptable terms for religious references. This one is a double euphemism. Piminy is a variation of Jiminy, which has been used since the early 1800s (especially in the phrase Jiminy Christmas) to avoid saying Jesus Christ. In 1912, Ohio’s Newark Advocate used the term in an example likely mimicking a regional accent: 'Jumping piminy, wat a hevy trunk.'
9. Zookers
Another example of a minced oath is zookers, which has been documented in print since the 1600s. It’s one of many variations of gadzooks, including zooks, gadzookers, zoodikers, and zoonters. These terms all serve as substitutes for 'By God!' due to the historical taboo around using divine names. In William Harrison Ainsworth’s 1854 novel The Flitch of Bacon, the term is used to express shock at a troubling marital revelation: 'I've ... Seen him make love to another woman.’ ‘To Mrs. Nettlebed?’ ‘Zookers! no.’'
10. Fishhooks
According to the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), 'Oh fishhooks!' is a Vermont expression used to convey surprise.
11. Gosh All Hemlock
DARE highlights the remarkable diversity of English exclamations, citing a 1959 book on Vermont’s history that features a vivid collection of phrases: 'Gosh all Fiddlesticks! ... Gosh all Filox! ... Gosh all Firelocks! ... Gosh all Frighty! ... Gosh all Fishhooks! ... Gosh all Hemlock! ... Gosh all Hemlocks and chew spruce gum! ... Gosh all Tarnation! ... Gosh all sufficiency!'
This article was first published in 2017 and has been updated for 2022.
