Expressions my grandparents used

[TeePee]

My fourth-grade sadist of a teacher would have a fit if anyone in the class said "Jeez", "Cripes", or "Gosh", because according to her, that was the same as saying Jesus, Christ, or God. She'd say that's what you were really meaning to say "in your heart". I don't remember whether golly, criminy or gee-whillikers was on the no-no list.

Since Jeez, Cripes and Gosh were common every-day language in the 50's, we got in trouble a lot.

She'd go apoplectic at "lousy" and "swell", too. Our joke was that that was swell way to get off to a lousy start with Mrs. H.

When growing up, we'd get in trouble with our parents if we said "gosh" (that sounded too much like "God"), if we said "darn" (that sounded too much like damn), and if we said the word "heck" because it sounded too much like "hell" or so they thought.

 

[Della]

When growing up, we'd get in trouble with our parents if we said "gosh" (that sounded too much like "God"), if we said "darn" (that sounded too much like damn), and if we said the word "heck" because it sounded too much like "hell" or so they thought.

Sounds like my parents, only they didn't bother to give us reasons, they just seemed to think any sort of expletive was tacky. My brothers once pushed me out of the swing for saying "ain't." They would have punched me in the arm for saying your username .