English
Etymology
Seventeenth-century British variant of oh my God, likely intended to avoid blasphemy<ref>"Ye gods and little fishes!" (World Wide Words)</ref><ref>"Gosh, we can't leave God alone when we speak" (The Electric New Paper News)</ref>.
Phrase
ye gods!
- Said when something is surprising or beyond belief.
#* 1851: w:Herman Melville|Herman Melville, s:Moby-Dick|Moby-Dick (Chapter 2)
#*: "Would he not far rather lay him down lengthwise along the line of the equator; yea, ye gods! go down to the fiery pit itself, in order to keep out this frost?"
Derived terms
egads
ye gods and little fishes
References
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Category:Phrasebook
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