gawdstruth! excl.
a mild, euph. oath; lit. ‘God’s truth!’; thus ’strewth! excl.
Argosy July 123: Gawdstruth†, aint he a bubblyjock! [...] † This adjuration is [...] employed by the poor with no more idea of the meaning than they would of the meaning of ’zounds. | ||
Night in a Workhouse 16: Why, a cove forgot his toke! Gordstruth! you wouldn’t ketch me a-forgettin’ mine. | ||
Living Age CCXL 809/1: ‘Gawdstruth,’ he moaned, ‘I be wholly killed.’. | ||
Mop Fair 138: Gawdstroth, Bill, I’ve run half over Brighton to find yer! | ||
Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Sept. 4/8: To be hoped that his favorite push terms, such as ‘dicken,’ ‘boshter,’ ‘shicker,’ ‘gordstruth,’ and ‘fair dinkum’ were tabooed by the chairman. | ||
Sun. Times (Perth) 15 Aug. 4s/8: Oh Gorstruth! [...] Monty’s but a coot. | ||
Bulletin (Sydney) 1 Dec. 18/1: Shut up, you blokes! Bert’s on a good thing now! / Gorstrooth, you are a lot of flamin’ cows! / Do ’ave a bit o’ common! Shut yer row! | ||
Strand LVII 127/1: ‘Gawdstruth! What is it now?’ muttered Mrs. Huggins. | ||
Handful of Ausseys 3/1: Gordstruth! That cheque was to have took me to the Melbourne Cup. | ||
‘The Knight’s Return’ in Chisholm (1951) 85: Gawstruth, I do! It ain’t so much the fack / That I ’ave soiled me soul be breakin’ trust. | ||
Western Champion (Qld) 12 Dec. 3/1: Gorstruth! | ||
When the Gods Grinned 170: ‘Gawdstruth!’ he said, and his protruding eyeballs ranged from one end of the scene to the other. | ||
Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 112: Gawdstrewth! | ||
Beam Ends 72: Gawdstruth, there’s not a pound o’ guts among the lot of yer. | ||
Western Mail (Perth) 19 Jan. 11/1: ‘Gorstrewth’ was the startled, delighted exclamation. | ||
Aus. Vulgarisms [t/s] 6: God: gad, egad, cor, gawd, gosh, golly, gawblimey, gawstruth, good god, good grief, by ghost, goldarn it, for gorsake, for goshsake, my goodness, by gum. | ||
(con. late 19C) Ben Hall the Bushranger 78: ‘Gawdstruth!’ exclaimed Gardiner. ‘Just look at that now.’. | ||
Atlantian (US Penitentiary, Atlanta, GA) 5: Gawdstruth, I’d never ’ave left London if I’d remembered this abominable climate. | ||
Bobbin Up 154: ‘Gawd struth,’ Nell exploded. ‘Doncha know there’s no food to waste in this house.’. | ||
Irishman 125: Gawdstruth, she’s bad because — How old are you, son? | ||
Only Fools and Horses [TV script] God struth. | ‘Big Brother’||
Dance of the Apprentices 241: Gawdstruth! Mean ter sy yer don’t know wot a vanload is? | ||
(con. WWII) | Eyewitness 83: Gawd struth, Corp., one thing you’ve always got plenty of round ’ere – and that’s blasted barbed wire.