zounds! excl.
a euph. excl., lit. ‘God’s wounds!’; sometimes intensified to zounds and blood! or zounds and death!
![]() | Grim The Collier of Croydon I iv: Zowndes, what a prating keeps the bald-pate Fryer? | |
![]() | Arden of Feversham line 824: Zounds Ile kill them all three. | |
![]() | Two Angry Women of Abington D: Swounds will that mouth, that’s made of olde sed sawes And nothing else, say nothing to vs now? | |
![]() | Shoemakers’ Holiday V ii: O Swounds no. | |
![]() | ballad in Wardroper (1969) 118: Zounds, dost not see my punk and paramour? | |
![]() | Nest of Ninnies 52: One comes sweating (zoons!). | |
![]() | Roaring Girle V i: Zounds, yonder comes Moll, my whorish master and mistress! | |
![]() | Woman is a Weathercock III iii: ’Zoons; a man is fain to break open doors, ere he can get in to you. | |
![]() | Counter-Rat E4: [A Roaring Rat] Why here (quoth we) — Why? zounds, because I tugg’d with Beares [...] But sure I mawld Mr. Constables Iawes. | |
![]() | Match at Midnight II i: ’Sounds, was that her manners to take away Randalls cups? | |
![]() | Mad Couple Well Match’d I i: Zownds I was going with full speed a Tilt. | |
![]() | ‘An Irish Quarter’ in Carpenter Verse in English from Tudor & Stuart Eng. (2003) 245: Zownds, here’s a Stable has no Rack nor Manger. | |
![]() | News from the New-Exchange (1731) 15: Z—ds! We are now in a Godly Family; and the only People in the World who know how to order Women. | |
![]() | Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) I Bk I 104: By his zounds, you may have chance to repent it. | (trans.)|
![]() | Wild Gallant IV i: Zounds, the rogue has a quint-major. | |
![]() | ‘A Country Dialogue’ Covent Garden Drollery 106: Zounds, and she be so mad of Kissing. | |
![]() | Sir Barnaby Whigg n.p.: Ay, ay boy — thou’rt in the right: S’woones who should I be else for, hoh? | |
![]() | ‘Mrs. Nelly’s Complaint’ in Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 99: Loudlier we swore than plundering dragoons; / S’blood follows s’blood, and zoons suceeded zoons. | |
![]() | Lucky Chance III iii: Hah, zouns, what’s here, a hovel or a hog-sty? | |
![]() | Love and a Bottle II ii: Zoons is only us’d by the disbanded Officers and Bullies: but Zauns is the Beaux pronunciation. | |
![]() | Constant Couple II ii: Zoons! I cannot speak to her. | |
![]() | Letters from the Dead to the Living in Works (1760) II 182: Zounds, says he, ’tis so hot there’s no enduring on’t. | |
![]() | Wonder! III iii: Zounds, she here! | |
![]() | in Pills to Purge Melancholy I 24: Zoons, how shall I kiss the king’s Hand. | |
![]() | Penkethman’s Jests 85: Half a Year! says the Fellow – Zoons, I have had one this ten Year. | |
![]() | Street Robberies Considered 13: Zounds, you Dog. | |
![]() | Proceedings at Sessions (City of London) Jan. 46/2: Zounds! says I, yes my Lord, I did say Zounds, that I did, Zounds! says I, and which is for me? | |
![]() | Witchcraft of Love 50: Zoons, Sir! | |
![]() | Life of Jonathan Wild (1784) II 183: Zounds! had I imagined it necessary, I would have cautioned you. | |
![]() | ‘The Irish Man’s Ramble’ in | I (1975) 129: Zouns says the Clown the Stairs kick him Down.|
![]() | Hist. of the Two Orphans I 14: Zounds! what do you talk of parsons and schoolmasters for? | |
![]() | Homer Travestie (1764) I 217: Zoons! quoth the king, I thought, Tydides, / [...] / Might absent been perhaps a whoring. | |
![]() | Gentleman’s Bottle-Companion 22: Zounds! crys the lad, like one just mad. | |
![]() | Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 24: Zoons! what a burning shame. | |
![]() | School For Scandal II i: Zounds! madam, you had no taste when you married me! | |
![]() | New London Jester 197: Zoons, how came you here. | |
![]() | Sl. Pastoral 11: Zounds! what shall I do? I shall die in a ditch. | |
![]() | Caleb Williams (1966) 86: Zounds, sir, do not think to put your conundrums upon me! | |
![]() | Poor Gentleman III iii: Zounds! I am quite out of breath. | |
![]() | Doctor Syntax, Picturesque (1868) 21/2: Zounds! – ’tis enough to make one swear. | |
![]() | Real Life in London I 84: Zounds! you are clipping the wig too close. | |
![]() | in Bk of Sports 83: Hark forward! hark forward! Zounds, don’t make a noise. | |
![]() | Down-Easters I 95: Now sir! why zounds an’ death, you lump of tarred rattlin with a figger-head to match. | |
![]() | Yellowplush Papers in Works III (1898) 376: Is this not rare wit? ‘Zounds! how can I keep mice?’ is well enough for a miser. | |
![]() | Devil In London II ii: Why, zounds and the devil, sir! Do you suppose I can possibly put up with it? | |
![]() | Handy Andy 351: Zounds! there’s nothing like the life of a soldier! | |
![]() | Delhi Sketch Bk 1 May 51/1: ‘Zounds,’ cried the Rajah, ‘Here’s a go!’ . | |
![]() | Reformed Gambler 146: Zounds! I will have my money back, Bill! You and Green can’t come a swindle over me like that. | |
![]() | ‘The Laundress And Her Ass’ Rambler’s Flash Songster 5: Said his worship, odd zounds, ’twill cost him some pounds. | |
![]() | Queerest Courtship 14: Zounds! That box closes with a spring which Mrs. Brown alone knows how to open. | |
![]() | Famous Racing Men 18: Zounds! Joe has jockeyed us after all. | |
![]() | Phillipsburg Herald (KS) 20 Sept. 3/1: Zouns, how bilious he must have been. | |
![]() | Punch 13 June 287: Z — ‘Zounds!’ which is all Directors can say. | |
![]() | Leeds Mercury 8 Feb. 12/3: He threw the rattling dice. ‘Swounds!’ says he. | |
![]() | Marvel 14 Apr. 314: ‘Zounds!’ sullenly muttered the being thus addressed. | |
![]() | Arthur’s 312: Gadzooks! and likewise zoons! | |
![]() | Day Book (Chicago) 5 jan. 11/1: ‘Zounds!’ cried the jester. | |
![]() | Last Poems 89: Before the ‘beaks’ he’ll hale you, / Though you say ‘Sir!’ and ‘Zounds!’ / And, on the mathematics, / They’ll fine you twenty pounds. | ‘Robert’|
![]() | Mapp and Lucia (1984) 87: ‘Zounds and Zooks,’ she shouted. | |
![]() | Battle Cry (1964) 41: Zounds, I curled a tow when he wasn’t looking. | |
![]() | Breaking of Bumbo (1961) 17: In fact, zoonds and sdeath, any room for a Boswell, Johnson? | |
![]() | Hall of Mirrors (1987) 83: Zounds, he thought. | |
![]() | Indep. Rev. 20 Mar. 3: Zounds! | |
![]() | Dreamcatcher 139: Zounds, Marcy, bring the gasogene. |