Jesus H. Christ
Jesus H. Christ is an example of slang serving as a mild profanity.[1] The expression can be used in an angry, wry, sarcastic, cynical, exasperated, or even joking tone. The expression implies that the Christ is a surname rather than a title (Christ comes from the Greek christos meaning "anointed.")
Etymology
The expression dates to at least the late 19th century, although according to Mark Twain it was already old in 1850, and likely originates with the ancient Christian three-letter symbolism IHS (the Christogram). (Smith 1994, p. 332)
Using the name of Jesus Christ as an oath has been common for many centuries, but the precise origins of the letter H in the expression Jesus H. Christ are obscure. While many explanations have been proposed, some serious and many humorous, the most widely accepted derivation is from the divine monogram of Christian symbolism. The symbol, derived from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (Ιησούς), is transliterated IHS, IHC, JHS or JHC. Since the transliteration IHS gave rise to the backronym Iesus Hominum Salvator (Latin for "Jesus savior of men"), it is plausible that JHC similarly led to Jesus H. Christ. (Smith 1994, pp. 332-3)
One factor in the transmutation of the monogram into the expression Jesus H. Christ may be that when the first syllable of Jesus Christ is strongly emphasised (as some speakers of English may do when cursing), the rhythm suggests a missing middle syllable between Jesus and Christ. The H may have been adopted from the monogram to fill this gap.[citation needed]
References
- Cassidy, Frederick G. (1995), "More on Jesus H. Christ", American Speech, 70: 370
- Smith, Roger (1994), "The H of Jesus H. Christ", American Speech, 69: 331–335
Notes
- ^ Adams, Cecil (1976-06-04). "Why do folks say "Jesus H. Christ"?". The Straight Dope.
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External links
- Why do folks say "Jesus H. Christ"?, from the Straight Dope (inconclusive)
- Explanation from WorldWideWords by Michael Quinion (supports the IHC theory)
- Harold be thy name! (has an interesting connection to Epistle of Barnabas (9:6-7) (written between 70 and 190 AD) which says "The eighteen is I (=ten) and H (=8) -- you have Jesus".