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Show DICTIONARY OF PROFANITY. Denis A. McCarthy of Boston. Mass., writes the following letiter to the New York Sun: As a contribution to your discussion of profanity and its substitutes, let me say that in the town of Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Ireland, the boys in my day always said "by gor," or to be more exact, "be gor,", when they felt that the occasion demanded an expletive. "Be gor" -was the most innocent form of oath. "Be gog" was the more daring venture into the forbidden for-bidden region of profanity. In fact, most of the youngsters looked upon "be gog" as too dangerously near the , limit. The boy using "be gog" was really a courageous character. "By gash" note "gash" not "gosh" I only heard once in those days. "By the boot" w as the grandmotherly sort of oath affected by the ancient. "By the living jingo" was used by "returned 0 . , zz -i Yanks." and other cosmopolitan people. peo-ple. "By the piper that played before Moses" was humorous. "Good gracious" or Goodness gracious" was common among all classes. "Bad cess to you" was a good-natured curse. "Bad hick from ycu" was another. The expression "Arrah!" (uesd impatiently) was deprecated depre-cated among children. The good mother always said "Arraah was the devil's mother," to discourage its use by adolescent ado-lescent lips. "By jaicus" was an oath occasionally heard from laboring men, servant boys and other farmer folk. "By cripes" was viewed askance bv carefully reared youth. "Holy Moses' was heard, but infrequently. It is commonly thought that the Irish swear by the Blessed Virgin. This is a mistake. Ma-ny misguided writers make Irish servant girls say, when excited, "Howly Mother." No Irish man or woman pronounces "Holy" in that way, for one thing; nor do they ever use the whole expression under any circumstances. Neither do t they swear "be the saints." "By the holy farmer." "by the hok- i ey," "by the hokey fly" all these were I used in the little town I speak of. f The devil, pronounced "divil," figured f prominently. The expletives and ex- f pressions containing his name are i nearly always semi-humorous or whol- ly so, as for instance, "the divil ate you," "the divil run a race with you." ! "the divil fly off with you," "the divil ' may care." "the divil's cure to you," ' "the divil rattle you," "the divil a hair I care." . ' . The blessings commonly used de- serve consideration: "God bless you." i "God Almighty bless you," "God be ' good to you," "may the heavens be your bed," "God preserve your soul to glory," ."God increase your store." "may God mark you to grace" (said to children). |