by George

English

Etymology

"By (God and Saint) George" is an old English oath invoked immediately before charging into battle as late as World War I. A version of the oath can be found in Shakespeare's Henry VI (part I), written circa 1589 and set in 1431.

Adverb

by George (not comparable)

1. (euphemistic) By God!: expressing wonderment, zeal.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:wow

See also

• minced oath