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For crying out loud

Posted by Capable wingnut on November 22, 2001

In Reply to: For crying out loud posted by Barney on November 20, 2001

: : : Where did the phrase, "For crying out loud" come from?

: : From somebody who started to blurt out "For Christ's sake!" and noticed at the last second that women or children or members of the clergy were present. Such expressions are called "Minced oaths."

:
: Minced oaths are like fried bread - too much fat and no enough fruit.

This expression was first recorded in the United States in 1924, and has been attributed to cartoonist Thomas Aloysius Dorgan.

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