Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Christ! excl.

also by Christ! Christes curs! Christ Jesus! Holy Christ! my Christ!

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

[UK]Langland Piers Plowman (B) V line 641: ‘By Crist!’ quod a commune womman.
[UK]Chaucer Miller’s Tale line 3782: Ey, Cristes foo! what wol ye do ther-with?
[UK]Chaucer The Cook’s Prologue (1979) line 495: O many a pilgrim hastow Cristus curs, For of thy percely yet they fare the wors.
[UK]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!
[UK]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.
[UK]Skelton Colyn Cloute (1550) Biii: They make many out cryes [...] And lewdely sayes by Christ.
[Scot]D. Lyndsay Satyre of Thrie Estaits III iii: Schyris! saw yow evir mair sorrowles departing?
[UK]T. Ingelend Disobedient Child Eii: By Christ it were best, with might and mayne, To fall to some worke, I sweare a great othe.
[UK]Jacke Juggler Di: And by Chryst if any man wold it do I myselfe wold helpe there too.
[UK]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?
[Ire]‘Mac O Bonniclabbero of Drogheda’ Bog Witticisms LVII 58: De Damn Beech call mee Cuckold, be Creesht.
[UK]C. Gildon Dialogue from Hell of Cuckoldom 22: Poor Teague is St. Patricks own Country-man be Chreest.
[UK]Foote Knights in Works (1799) I 68: They [...] eat a whole loin-a’-veal and a leg of beef. Crist! how landlord swear’d!
[UK]C. Morris ‘The Great Plenipotentiary’ Collection of Songs (1788) 44: ‘Christ Jesus!’ she said, ‘What a prick for a maid!’.
[UK]Lytton Paul Clifford III 195: Christ! how my soul chuckles when I look at this pitiful pair, who think I see them not.
[UK](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’.
[US]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?’.
[Aus]Truth (Sydney) 5 Aug. 5/4: Bikris, I don’t swear at all.
[UK]‘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.
[US]Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 25: Kerist I thought you was goin to ask for a handout.
[US]W.R. Burnett Little Caesar (1932) 47: Christ [...] they’re coming up.
D.W. Lovelace King Kong 80: ‘Christ!’ Jimmy burst forth.
[UK]‘George Orwell’ Down and Out in Complete Works I (1986) 152: Christ! [...] dere’s good food goin’ to waste.
[Aus](con. 1830s–60s) ‘Miles Franklin’ All That Swagger 141: Christ! But it must have been rich.
[US]J. Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath (1951) 65: Holy Christ, they’re fixin’ to go!
[Aus]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!
[US]C. McCullers Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1986) 143: ‘Christ!’ I didn’t see you.
[US]R.O. Boyer Dark Ship 151: Gee-zus-Criz! Can’t I ever get a minute?
[US](con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 100: Christ, I’m freezin’.
[UK]C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 187: Christ! [...] I just can’t go on with this!
[US]P. Highsmith Two Faces of January (1988) 54: Kee-rist! I hope that doesn’t keep on all night.
E. Taylor Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (1982) 34: ‘I shall call you Desmond,’ she said. ‘Christ!’ was all he replied.
[US]J. Langone Life at the Bottom 201: We had a bunch of women here this past year, Holy Christ.
[Aus]R.G. Barrett Godson 10: ‘Christ! There’s plenty of piss here if we want it’.
[US]T. Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities 136: Christ, it was hot in here.
[UK]G. Burn Happy Like Murderers 124: ‘Christ these are nice,’ Fred said to the friend he was with.
[UK]Observer Rev. 9 Jan. 11: Christ, I’m in the wrong house.
W. Fiennes Snow Geese (2002) 129: Geese, geese, geese! so many geese! Holy Christ!
[Aus]P. Papathanasiou Stoning 278: ‘Christ [...] Too old for this shit’.