MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - New Leaf December 2018 Discussion • The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

gmw · 12-18-2018, 08:11 AM

I liked some of the oaths offered through the story. I did a bit of research out of interest:

Zooks : short for "gadzooks", first known use 1600 (Merriam-Webster and OED agree).

Zounds : short for "God's wounds", first known use 1592 (Merriam-Webster and OED agree).

Odds Fish ("Odd's Fish" in the book) : "God's Fish" (OED and this site); or genitive of odd+fish (Merriam-Webster). Given the nature of the phrase (a mild oath) I think the OED explanation seems more likely.

(According to Meriam-Webster Zooks/Gadzooks may have come from "God's hooks" (the nails of crucifixion), and if so then the evolution to Zooks could then been seen as taking the same path as the OED explanation for Odds Fish.)

12-18-2018, 08:11 AM	#49
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	I liked some of the oaths offered through the story. I did a bit of research out of interest: Zooks : short for "gadzooks", first known use 1600 (Merriam-Webster and OED agree). Zounds : short for "God's wounds", first known use 1592 (Merriam-Webster and OED agree). Odds Fish ("Odd's Fish" in the book) : "God's Fish" (OED and this site); or genitive of odd+fish (Merriam-Webster). Given the nature of the phrase (a mild oath) I think the OED explanation seems more likely. (According to Meriam-Webster Zooks/Gadzooks may have come from "God's hooks" (the nails of crucifixion), and if so then the evolution to Zooks could then been seen as taking the same path as the OED explanation for Odds Fish.)