Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see God forbid n. (1)

see under muck n.¹

see how came you so phr.

a phr. implying amazement, incredulity or plain ignorance; thus as n., an unknown place, person or reason.

1661		‘Old England turned New’ in Ebsworth Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 267: And what is become of your old fashion Cloaths / [...] / They are turned to new fashions, but what, the Lord knows.
1687		‘Lilliburlero’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng in 18C Ireland (1998) 38: De law’s on dare side, and Chreist knows what.
1688		J. Crowne City Politicks I i: It cost me the Lord knows what in one beauty-water or another.
1697		Cibber Woman’s Wit II i: Gad, take me, it has cost me the Lord knows what to qualify me for the Bar of Love.
1705–07		N. Ward Hudibras Redivivus II:7 24: Attended by a ragged Crew / Of link-boys, and the Lord knows who!
1720		in J. Malcolm Anecdotes of Manners and Customs (1808) 74: Mist’s Journal contains a paragraph, said to have been copied from a work intituled, ‘The Lord knows what, by the Lord knows who’.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation 21: lord sp.: What Lord d’ye mean, Tom? miss.: Why, my Lord, I suppose Mr. Neverout means the Lord of the Lord knows what.
1754		Trial of Elizabeth Canning in Howell State Trials (1816) 352: Who set out with them? [...] The Lord knows, I don't know that.
1762		Bridges Homer Travestie (1764) II 223: ’Twas Hector’s bribes, and only that, / He promis’d me the lord knows what.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 42: E’er since I saw that white-legg’d mawkin [...] that Thetis, stroking / Your knees, as on the ground you sat, / And rubbing up, the Lord knows what.
1787		Adventures of Jonathan Corncob 51: She knelt down before her niece, and introducing it between her feet, applied it the Lord knows where, for I lost sight of her arm.
1795		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Liberty’s Last Squeak’ Works (1801) V 77: Behold a youth with muddled brain, Reeling, the Lord knows where, a little drunk.
1810		‘Jonny Raw and Polly Clark’ in Batchelar’s Jovial Fellows Collection of Songs 4: He dreamt his wife had from him fled, / Ri tol de rol / Then full of joy he ’woke, it’s true, / and found his rib had prov’d untrue, / and bolted with the lord knows who.
1819		Beppo in London xciv: I mean the mighty Quarterly Review, Written by Gifford, and the Lord knows who.
1828		‘The Song of the Young Prig’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 171: And if you ’d know my father’s style, / He was the Lord Knows-who, sirs!
1840		T. Haliburton Letter-bag of the Great Western (1873) 153: I am off with him in this steamer, and it’s hurrah for Yankee town, and the Lord knows where.
1853		T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws II 203: They were translations of languages of the dead, or them that were livin’ the Lord knows where.
1862		J.L. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd series (1880) 114: A high-school, where they teach the Lord knows what.
1898		F.W. Hume Hagar of the Pawn-Shop 154: A pal o’ mine as is a sailor brought it from Lord-knows-where.
1906		H. Lawson ‘Bound for the Lord-Knows-Where’ in Roderick (1967–9 ) II 196: And we’re bound for the lord-knows-where, / Old chap — we’re bound for the lord-knows-where.
1914		‘Bartimeus’ ‘Farewell and Adieu!’ in Naval Occasions 144: Lord knows, I don’t want to idealise barmaids.
1920		Appleton (Wisc.) Daily Post 6 Jan. 5/6–7: [advert] Buckaroo (buck-a-roo) [...] Meaning, when applied to the masculine gender of the human species, [...] a ding-bustin’ devil-may-care crittur from away back, headed for the Lord-Knows-Where.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 429: Wildgoose chase this. Disorderly houses. Lord knows where they are gone.
1940		E. O’Neill Iceman Cometh Act I: Couple of con men living in my flat since Christ knows when!
1943		W.R. Burnett Nobody Lives for Ever 34: [S]oldiers and sailors and Christ-knows-who-all patrol the roads with loaded guns.
2004		T. Winton Turning (2005) 133: Dirty clothes, half of which stank of craybait and bloke sweat and Christ-knows-what.

see lor-a-massy/-mussy! excl.

(Aus.) a mild excl.

1885		Newcastle Morn. Herald (NSW) 24 Nov. 2/1: And cries of ‘strike me handsome’ and ‘Lord blue me’ filled the air.
1895		Bulletin 9 Feb. n.p.: Got a cigar in yer old clothes, matey? / Lor’ blue me if I’m not dead for a smoke.
1902		Truth (Sydney) 7 Sept. 8/3: Oh, Lord blew me, Mister Norton, / That will be a rummy go.

see lumme! excl.