this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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English usage and grammar
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Well, there isn't a single usage that's exclusive.
It's a general "oath", akin to any of the less socially acceptable curse words, just not as severe.
You'd use it any time you might be frustrated, angry, or even disappointed. It can freely replace heavier oaths like "fuck me", "fuck my luck", "dammit all to hell", or the ultimate expression of extreme emotion, "mother fucker" (which is distinct in emphasis from motherfucker, believe it or not).
I have seen and heard it used in the older sense, where it represents an expression of sorrow or regret as well, though that is much less common now.
It's my understanding that when it first became used outside of the biblical origin ( John 11:35, when Jesus went and found Lazarus dead in his tomb and cried with those mourning Lazarus), it was used more as a thing where the person would be saying that Jesus would weep with the people undergoing whatever ill event life had thrown at them.
In that sense, it would be akin to saying "alas", or "woe is me".
But, as things often do, it has become more of a complaint against the bad things in life rather than a commiseration with those facing bad things.
It's actually one of the very few bible verses that sticks in my memory, despite some of the mental gymnastics used to explain away the humanity of the story exemplified in the verse. But that's a major tangent.
Thanks, this is very exhaustive, just what I needed!
I have never before heard of curse words being called “oaths”. They are typically also referred to as “swear” words or “swears” at least in the US. Though I never understood why curse and swear are synonyms in this specific usage. Is oath a mistranslation or is that a common regional synonym somewhere?
No, oath is just a tad archaic, but it's a standard usage, not slang or dialect.
Iirc, that usage stems from the same as "swear" does, where the use of a "curse" word is an expression of emphasis or conviction, like saying "I swear to god, I'm going to kick this chicken into orbit if it pecks my foot again."
Mind you, I haven't gone looking for any rigorous history of that because it's bloody difficult to search for on the internet. I'm basing that off of decades old time in a college with instructors willing to chat about their subject matter casually. It could have been the pet theory of the professor in question rather than an established fact.