by George

English

Etymology

"By (God and Saint) George" is an old English oath invoked immediately before charging into battle as late as World War I. A version of the oath can be found in Shakespeare's Henry VI (part I), written circa 1589 and set in 1431.

Adverb

by George (not comparable)

1. (minced oath) By God!: expressing wonderment, zeal.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     Heaven knows, I cannot find it in my heart to blame you, but this much I will say, be it kind or unkind: when Captain Smollett was well, you dared not have gone off; and when he was ill and couldn’t help it, by George, it was downright cowardly!

   • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "Look at Clive - just a clerk, and he conquered India! By George! I'll do something in the world yet!" She laughed at my sudden Irish effervescence.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:wow

See also

• minced oath