I liked a turn of phrase that I read today, well actually that I heard today on one of Mom's talking books. The author described a character as "a man who used oaths as crutches to get him from one word to another."

Does oath mean swearing or curse here?

Does oath mean swearing or curse here?

Yes. It's interesting that both oath and to swear have come to mean blasphemous or obscene utterances, but together to swear an oath only means 'to declare solemnly'. Swearing and cursing in their newer sense, must be an extension of invoking a deity or other religious thing to support the seriousness and/or validity of one's oath.