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intensifiers

Posted by Bob on April 04, 2006

In Reply to: You haven't listened to a blind word I said posted by Roz on April 04, 2006

: "You haven't listened to a blind word I said" my father use to say to me (meaning nothing) - does anyone know the origin?

Intensifiers, particularly those involved in minced oaths, (search our archives for many discussions thereof) tend to retain the initial sound of the word they replace ... therefore, gol-dang and gosh darn replace god damn, and blind is of a family with bleedin', blasted, bloomin', et al., which softened "bloody." Don't know and can't date the origin.

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