Green’s Dictionary of Slang

an ext. of thank God; thank fuck is a more obscene variation.

[1901		Buxton Advertiser 28 Dec. 7/4: ‘O husband! my husband! Thank Christ and all his saints!’].
1930		L. Lower Here’s Luck 100: ‘Isn’t Agatha here?’ ‘No,’ I snapped. ‘Thank crikeys! I’ll stay with you for a while’.
1936		D. Stivens Tramp and Other Stories 45: Thank Christ that’s over.
1948		K. Amis letter 25 Jan. in Leader (2000) 158: You can thank your living Christ, my dear old bash, that you didn’t read a b – lit course.
1984		Guardian 19 Dec. 11/8: The white letters read: I‘ knew Gilmour. Thank fuck he didn’t know me’.
1986		Stage (London) 26 June 17/6: One thing we don’t have in England, thank Christ [...] is a theatre for the intelligentsia.
1991		R. Doyle Van (1998) 363: Game over, ten minutes early. – Thank fuck, said Pat Conlon. – It’s fuckin’ freezin’.
1996		Penguin Bk of More Aus. Jokes 375: Thank Christ I decided not to be a gynaecologist.
1996		J. Cameron It Was An Accident 42: Then thank fuck the geezer fucked off leaving Gal and the money behind.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 20: Thank fuck ee’s gone.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 29: They must all be going to bed. Thank fuck.
2023		M. Herron Secret Hours 387: Thank fuck that didn’t happen often.
2024		Irish Indep. 9 July 🌐 As soon as we’ve [...] been released back into the real world, [...] we say, ‘well, thank f*** that’s over’ and life returns to normal.