Given time constraints, the following is a repeat of an earlier post.
My wife says “Goodness gracious Maggies!” I was brought up hearing “Goodness gracious Agnes!” She was raised in South Carolina while I grew up in Florida. We don’t know where Agnes and Maggie were raised.
Geography seems to play a role in variations in similar sayings. In the South, I often heard “Bless his (or her) heart” to reference someone prone to inanity. Our friends from Pennsylvania say “God love him (or her)” meaning the same thing. A minister once said, if you add “Bless his heart,” one can say some less than flattering things before that point.
The more religiously influenced have a variety of sayings. I think the Catholic influence might lead a surprised person to say “Holy Mary mother of God!” which is quite the mouhful. Often, it is shortened to “Holy Mary!” leaving the longer version for more awe-inspiring events.
“Jesus Christ! or the shortened “Jesus!” is uttered when a religious mother is out of earshot. Otherwise, the child might get a look or rebuke. Often, it is shortened to “Jeez,” “Jeepers,” or “Gee whiz,” depending on the generation or religious zeal of the mother. Of course, the more formal rendering is “Jesus H. Christ,” but I have no idea where the “H” comes from.
We can thank Walt Disney for popularizing another replacement with his character “Jiminy Cricket.” Making his name plural makes another saying of surprise. A variation is “Jiminy Christmas” for more exasperating events.
“Dammit,” has long been a shortened version of GD which would have gotten a strong rebuke in my house. The rebuke for Dammit would be less severe. Either phrase reveals disappointment in some failure. I am reminded of Strother Martin’s character in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” The tobacco chewing character would say “Dammit” when his tobacco spittle got on his chin, yelling “bingo” when it did not.
It saddens me to think of the humor of Bill Cosby given his off-stage criminal acts of sexual assault. But, one of his funnier routines was of his father trying to edit his language around his kids. When mad, Cosby said his father could not complete a sentence due to self-censure. He also had routine where his father referred to Cosby as “Dammit” and his brother as “Jesus Christ” when mad. “Dammit” get in here. “Jesus Christ” why did you do that? When he mixed up the two, his brother would say “But Dad, I’m Jesus Christ.”
I have shared before the saying of my wonderful colleague whose father was a minister. When very frustrated, she would say, “Bad word, bad word!” Her saying would lighten the moment if others heard her saying it given her temperament.
What are some of your family, friends and region’s sayings? Are they unique to your area or more widespread?
musingsofanoldfart 
Jiminy Cricket is a favorite of mine to use in mixed company, but when I’m alone or around only other guys of similar vocabulary, I’m totally uncensored. By the way, I’m not certain of this, but I think the H stands for Holy. That’s my theory, anyway.
It works for me. You reminded me of a story where a former Navy friend was on leave eating at his girlfriend’s parents house with two shipmates. At the table in front of the mother and younger kids, a shipmate said “Please pass the effing peas” using the actual word. The father amid the silence said, “You heard him pass the effing peas.” He said later to the guys he was in the Navy too. Keith
LOL! Yes, as one from Pennsylvania “God Bless her!” is the same, as “Bless her heart!” and I have said both. 🙂 “Don’t have a cow!” is another phrase that was used a lot when I was growing up, meaning to chill out and “Hold your horses!” I think those phrases are pretty common everywhere.
Joy, we used those as well. Thanks, Keith
Note to Readers: I had a colleague, who when excited about something, would say “Hot, almighty damn!” His enthusiasm was infectious.
Then, there is the famous Reverend Ernest Ainsley, who from his Sunday night TV show would pronounce to bad behavior – “Out Satan” or “Be healed” – adding extra syllables with his southern accent.
Who cares is my philosophy. I’m going to say whatever comes to mind. Sure, much of our exclamations relate back to religion (wonder why that is?), but since I’m not religious, they’re just words to express my anger/frustration. (I do sometimes wonder, however, why religious words seem to have more “oomph” … ??)
Nan, certain words and sayings do seem to have more oomph. I have seen them over-used in some movies that really did not need them. Maybe we should use a good old Winne the Pooh saying of “Oh bother.” I do know one thing, no president has made me want to curse more than the last one. Keith
If we mean sh** (in German) but would like to say it in a toned-down way, we say “Scheibe” which means window glass.
Erika, now that is interesting to me having taken German in high school. Some of the more enterprising folks here have said “shut the front door” as a euphemism for something more insulting. Keith
Oh, yes, I know that one 😄