I used an expression the other day while waiting in traffic behind a particularly annoying driver \u2014 the expression was \u201cfor crying out loud.\u201d I use that expression on occasion and I\u2019ve heard other people use it, so what the heck does it mean, and where did it come from? Some expressions make more sense to me than others and I can even imagine where they probably came from or how they originated.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember using \u201cfor crying out loud\u201d fairly often when out kids were growing up \u2014 I\u2019d often use it when they did things like draw on the wall with crayons or something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I got to thinking about that for crying out loud expression today and decided it made absolutely no sense to me. So I decided that today was as good a day as any to get to the bottom of this foolish expression.\u00a0
So thanks to my extensive research skills, I have solved the mystery \u2014 well, kinda, anyway. It seems that the expression is one of a long list of sayings that originated in Christian culture \u2014 called \u201cminced oaths.\u201d These saying allow you to express your frustration without saying something sinful. So a minced oath is an oath in which the profane or offensive word is replaced with a euphemism in order to make the term suitable for all audiences. The inappropriate oath replaced by \u201ccrying out loud\u201d is \u201cfor Christ\u2019s sake.\u201d How you get from from “Christ\u2019s sake\u201d to \u201cfor crying out loud,\u201d I can\u2019t figure out \u2014 but I\u2019d guess it has something to do with a father upset with the endless crying of his baby.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking through a list of minced oaths was interesting and it was easy to get off track from my original task \u2014 for example, if you were a peasant back in the dark ages and someone stole your sandals, instead of yelling something like, \u201cWhen I find you, I\u2019m gonna stick those sandals up your\u2026!\u201d you\u2019d say something like, \u201cfor Pete\u2019s sake!\u201d which shifts the attention to one of Jesus\u2019 right hand men, St. Peter. You\u2019d still be able to express your anger, but most people wouldn\u2019t take offense. Even expressions like \u201cGee\u201d are Christian based. The \u201cG\u201d sound represents the \u201cG\u201d sound in Jesus Christ\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For sake of completeness, I should mention that my extensive research uncovered another theory about the origin\u2026.. that the phrase for crying out loud originated in the United States in the 1920s, and the cartoonist Thomas Aloysius Dorian is credited with popularizing the idiom.
No matter the origin, for crying out loud is an expression of frustration, impatience, or exasperation.
So apparently it\u2019s an acceptable phrase to use in our society.
\u2014 30 \u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I used an expression the other day while waiting in traffic behind a particularly annoying driver \u2014 the expression was \u201cfor crying out loud.\u201d I use that expression on occasion and I\u2019ve heard other people use it, so what the … Continue reading