For crying out loud

Posted by ESC on February 07, 2004

In Reply to: For crying out loud posted by Larry Baruch on February 07, 2004

: My father would use the expression "for crying out loud" as an interjection or comment of disbelief. What is it's origin, please?

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD - "'Oh, for heaven's sake. what you are saying or doing is preposterous.' The saying is a euphemism (also described as a Minced oath) for 'For Christ's sake.' And seems to have been coined, probably in the United States, about 60 years ago." From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Wings Books, Originally New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985). A second reference says the expression is "An Americanism first recorded in 1924, but probably dating back earlier.It's hard to believe that this common expression was consciously invented by someone. But it has been traced to American cartoonist and prolific word coiner Thomas Aloysius (TAD) Dorgan (1877-1929)." From Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).