Friday, September 21, 2007

Holy expletives

I'm full of adventure-clicking today! I followed one of DemonDoll's "Not so silent lurking" links to Crazy Aunt Purl, who seems like a delightful loon. Her rantings brought back many a fond memory of steaming, gut-searing road-rage on the freeways of Los Angeles. I cannot tell you how unfit I was to drive in that city, possibly any city. That I escaped alive and (so far) ulcerless is a work of the Good Lord. Speaking of the Good Lord (and, boy, did I, during the righteous fury of my daily commute!), Aunt Purl shares a particularly fine example of one of my favourite cursing sub-genres: the Christ-based expletive phrase. Hers, which I intend to adopt and spread liberally north of the 49th, is "Jesus Christ on a cracker!" I love it! In Catholic school, two decades ago, I may have coined (the memory is dim) my stock favourite ever since: "Jesus Christ on a bicycle!" (Of course, Catholic school was a hotbed of heretical fecundity in these matters, including the irreverent alternative lyrics to the Christmas carol, "These Three Kings": "These Three Kings of Orient are,/One in a bus and one in a car,/One on a scooter, blowing his hooter,/Chasing his fat grandma." Also: "These Three Kings of Orient are,/Tried to smoke a rubber cigar,/It was loaded and exploded,/That's why they followed the star." Ah, the religious education.)

Back to the Christ-based expletive: though while not strictly a phrase, "Jesus H. Christ!" is probably the oldest living relative of this form, which counts amongs its ancestors such bygone gems as "'Sblood!" and "'Swounds!" And then there is the ne plus ultra of Christ-based expletives, the one that makes even a heretic such as myself blush, that I reserve for only the most insupportable moments of crisis (or no more than three times daily on the 101), the appalling, the effective, "Jesus Fuck!" And yes, it is with a considerable amount of shame (and just a soupçon of wicked pride) that I must confess to being its progenitor.

4 comments:

ElleDee said...

You're back! I had given up hope.
Thank you for the well wishes, too :) (no unibrow)

VS said...

It's true, almost-married lady, I am back...but with the caveat that I may go again at any time. In my case, both spirit and flesh are weak...

demondoll said...

Sister taught me Sweet Jeebus. I also like to say Praise Jeebus. Or yes, even Sweet Jesus on a cracker.

Our mom used to just shout Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. That's when I knew to run.

I love you so much right now for These 3 Kings. I could cry for joy!

LolaDiana said...

hah! It's alive! Lucky for you I click, when I'm bored. I am more than pleased to see your snarky intellectual ravings... How I miss you and the DDoll. The OC is white bread HELL!!!!!!!!!
kisses to Th
D