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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Sakes alive! #69723 05/13/02 12:21 AM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... W Wordwind OP Carpal Tunnel OP Wordwind Carpal Tunnel W Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... I've heard two forms: Sakes alive! Land sakes alive! It means something like, I suppose, "For goodness' sake!" But how odd, really: Sakes alive! Is that just an intensive form of "For goodness' sake!"--you know, this goodness thing that is begging saking is so vibrant that the required sakes are alive? And how did that "land" come onto the scene? The more I think about it, the more confused I become. Any input more than welcome. Befuddled regards, WordWhirled Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69724 05/13/02 12:47 AM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 W wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel W Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 And "heavens to Betsy". Non sequiturs abound. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69725 05/13/02 01:58 AM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA G Geoff old hand Geoff old hand G Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA And Sylvester the cat's version, "Heavens to Mergatroid!" Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69726 05/13/02 02:04 AM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 M maverick Carpal Tunnel maverick Carpal Tunnel M Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 It’s defined as a rhyming euphemism from the Appalachians on this linguistics page I bookmarked for something else, as it happens (scroll down to section 4), but gives no explanatory info… http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/AmericanDialects.htm Again, this site doesn’t provide anything very definitive, but is quite interesting! http://www.uncc.edu/charleston/our writings/stories_text.htm#Lowcountry Colloquialisms and Patois Then of course there’s our old favourite topic from way back: Slow down Pa! Sakes alive! Ma missed signs four and five. Burma Shave. http://www.the-daily-record.com/past_issues/02_feb/000227dr1.html It also seems to have been a much-favoured phrase by Sarah Orne Jewett – is her writing as twee as some extracts make her sound? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter . #69727 05/13/02 03:24 AM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 M Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel M Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69728 05/13/02 04:29 AM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA G Geoff old hand Geoff old hand G Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA "Heavens to Murgatroyd" (sic) was laso (very sic) used by The Pink Panther. OK, so Shylveshter couldn't schpell(saliva spraying wildly from his mouth as he said this) This was Mel Blanc's voice, was it not? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69729 05/13/02 01:16 PM Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA TheFallibleFiend veteran TheFallibleFiend veteran Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA Snagglepuss always said "Heavens ta Murgatroid!" I never heard The Pink Panther say anything! k Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Post deleted by SilkMuse #69730 05/13/02 02:34 PM Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 170 S SilkMuse member SilkMuse member S Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 170 Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69731 05/13/02 02:38 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Drove me to wonder Well, good for the friend of your father! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Sakes alive! #69732 05/13/02 02:45 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 872 Birmingham, Alabama M milum old hand milum old hand M Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 872 Birmingham, Alabama Sakes alive! Land sakes alive! It means something like, I suppose, "For goodness' sake!" But how odd, really: Sakes alive! Is that just an intensive form of "For goodness' sake!"--you know, this goodness thing that is begging saking is so vibrant that the required sakes are alive? And how did that "land" come onto the scene? - ww Well Wordwind, speaking for a five mile radius of Lower Peachtree, Alabama... The phases began as straightforward religious comments, ex: If Saint Peter were alive today, he wouldn't... ex: For the sake of the Lord, Maggie, don't... then became religious exclamations, ex: Saints Alive!, Ethel, why did you... ex: Lord Sakes!, Mattie, why did you... Then the new Baptist preacher in town explained to them that they were swearing... ex: Land Sakes! ex: Snakes alive! Then, just to be safe, the good snake*-handling, foot-washing, Baptist folk excluded all references to God, man, or beasts, or nouns... ex: " SAKES ALIVE! " They exclaimed. * Note: "Snakes alive" is concurrent with "Sakes alive" in Lower Peachtree today. 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