Gadzooks

[gad-zooks] Origin

Gad·zooks

[gad-zooks]
interjection Archaic.
(used as a mild oath.)
Also, Odzooks, Odzookers.


Origin:
1645–55; perhaps representing God's hooks (i.e., the nails of Christ's Cross); compare Gad
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Gadzooks

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Gadzooks is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
gadzooks (ɡædˈzuːks)
 
interj
archaic a mild oath
 
[C17: perhaps from God's hooks (the nails of the cross); see Gad1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gadzooks
1690s, from some exclamation, possibly God's hooks (nails of the cross) or even God's hocks. The use of Gad for God (cf. egad) is first attested 1590s. Among other similar phraseological combinations (all from 17c.) were gadsbobs, gadslid, and gadsniggers.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature