Green’s Dictionary of Slang

the main blasphemous oath, which carried a good deal more resonance when religion (and thus potential blasphemy) had greater power.

c.1367–86		Langland Piers Plowman (B) V line 641: ‘By Crist!’ quod a commune womman.
c.1386		Chaucer Miller’s Tale line 3782: Ey, Cristes foo! what wol ye do ther-with?
c.1386		Chaucer The Cook’s Prologue (1979) line 495: O many a pilgrim hastow Cristus curs, For of thy percely yet they fare the wors.
c.1495		Skelton Mannerly Margery Mylk and Ale line 16: What, wolde ye frompill me now! Fy, fy! What, and ye shal be my piggesnye? Be Crist, ye shall not!
1512		Hickscorner Civ: By cryst I recke not a feder Euen now I was dubbed a knyght Where at Tybourne of the collar And of the stewes I am made controller Of all the houses of lechery.
1523		Skelton Colyn Cloute (1550) Biii: They make many out cryes [...] And lewdely sayes by Christ.
1540		D. Lyndsay Satyre of Thrie Estaits III iii: Schyris! saw yow evir mair sorrowles departing?
c.1550		T. Ingelend Disobedient Child Eii: By Christ it were best, with might and mayne, To fall to some worke, I sweare a great othe.
1562		Jacke Juggler Di: And by Chryst if any man wold it do I myselfe wold helpe there too.
1619		Rowlands Well met Gossip A2: Good-den good Coussen: Iesu, how de’e doe? When shall we eate another Dagger Pie? You are a stranger: Christ, when met we two?
c.1687		‘Mac O Bonniclabbero of Drogheda’ Bog Witticisms LVII 58: De Damn Beech call mee Cuckold, be Creesht.
1692		C. Gildon Dialogue from Hell of Cuckoldom 22: Poor Teague is St. Patricks own Country-man be Chreest.
1754		Foote Knights in Works (1799) I 68: They [...] eat a whole loin-a’-veal and a leg of beef. Crist! how landlord swear’d!
1786		C. Morris ‘The Great Plenipotentiary’ Collection of Songs (1788) 44: ‘Christ Jesus!’ she said, ‘What a prick for a maid!’.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford III 195: Christ! how my soul chuckles when I look at this pitiful pair, who think I see them not.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 17/2: If the crowd pressed upon him, he would jerk his elbow back savagely, saying, ‘I wish to C---t you’d stand backer’.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 110: ‘Christ!’ roared one of the bystanders, ‘are we expected to buy all that ar’ larnin’ an’ music, ’long with the gal?’.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 5 Aug. 5/4: Bikris, I don’t swear at all.
1914		‘Bartimeus’ ‘The Greater Love’ Naval Occasions 231: The Marine sentry ran to the side of the ship. ‘Christ!’ he gasped, and forsook his post, to cry the tale aloud along the seething battery.
1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 25: Kerist I thought you was goin to ask for a handout.
1929		W.R. Burnett Little Caesar (1932) 47: Christ [...] they’re coming up.
1932		D.W. Lovelace King Kong 80: ‘Christ!’ Jimmy burst forth.
1933		‘George Orwell’ Down and Out in Complete Works I (1986) 152: Christ! [...] dere’s good food goin’ to waste.
1936		(con. 1830s–60s) ‘Miles Franklin’ All That Swagger 141: Christ! But it must have been rich.
1939		J. Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath (1951) 65: Holy Christ, they’re fixin’ to go!
1941		Howard ‘Heat’ in Mann Coast to Coast 129: The silly little bitch accosted a plain-clothes man. Can you beat it? My Christ, I was mad!
1943		C. McCullers Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1986) 143: ‘Christ!’ I didn’t see you.
1947		R.O. Boyer Dark Ship 151: Gee-zus-Criz! Can’t I ever get a minute?
1948		(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 100: Christ, I’m freezin’.
1959		C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 187: Christ! [...] I just can’t go on with this!
1961		R.S. Close With Hooves of Brass 27: [G]et caught doping racing dogs or the gee-gees, and Christ! you hit the head-lines! [ibid.] 178: ‘Well, Christ Almighty! I could ‘ave sworn I done it’.
1964		P. Highsmith Two Faces of January (1988) 54: Kee-rist! I hope that doesn’t keep on all night.
1971		E. Taylor Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (1982) 34: ‘I shall call you Desmond,’ she said. ‘Christ!’ was all he replied.
1977		J. Langone Life at the Bottom 201: We had a bunch of women here this past year, Holy Christ.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 10: ‘Christ! There’s plenty of piss here if we want it’.
1987		T. Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities 136: Christ, it was hot in here.
1998		G. Burn Happy Like Murderers 124: ‘Christ these are nice,’ Fred said to the friend he was with.
2000		Observer Rev. 9 Jan. 11: Christ, I’m in the wrong house.
2002		W. Fiennes Snow Geese (2002) 129: Geese, geese, geese! so many geese! Holy Christ!
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 278: ‘Christ [...] Too old for this shit’.