Green’s Dictionary of Slang

egad! excl.

also i’gad! ivads!
[gad n.1 ]

used in mild oaths as a euph. for God! (cf. edad! excl.).

[UK]Rochester ‘Tunbridge Wells’ in Works (1999) 52: Madam, I Gad, / Your Luck att Cards last Night was very bad.
[UK] ‘The West-Countryman’s Song on a Wedding’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) III 57: E’gad not I, let Master fret it.
[UK]Congreve Old Bachelor i: But, egad, I durst not stay to give him thanks.
[UK]Cibber Woman’s Wit I i: Igad I had as good show myself.
[UK]Farquhar Sir Harry Wildair IV ii: Egad I should think so too.
[UK]Cibber Careless Husband II ii: Ha! ha! I’gad, my Lord you deserve to be ill us’d.
[UK]S. Centlivre Wonder! II i: ’Egad, methinks I have a very pretty hand, and very white, and the shape!
[UK]Cibber Non-Juror I i: I-gad, this love-sick Monkey had stole it for a private Play-thing.
[UK]Cibber Refusal 64: Ha! ha! I-gad this is a pleasant Question indeed.
[UK]C. Coffey Boarding-School 39: But Ivads! my Heart goes a-pit-a-pat about it.
[UK]Swift Polite Conversation 15: I’gad I don’t know whence it comes.
[UK]Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 17: Egad, I’ll play him the salt-water trick.
[UK]Foote Englishman in Paris in Works (1799) I 31: Egad I’ve a mind to set up some trade.
[UK]O. Goldsmith Life of Richard Nash in Coll. Works (1966) III 357: Follow your prescription, cried Nash, No—Egad, if I had, I should have broke my neck.
[US]‘Andrew Barton’ Disappointment I i: Egad! you might have said Noah’s-ark [...] for it looks old enough.
[UK]Sheridan Rivals (1776) III i: I’ll never forgive you if you don’t come back, stark mad with rapture and impatience – if you don’t, egad, I’ll marry the girl myself!
[UK]‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Ode Upon Ode’ Works (1794) I 435: So there is, egad!
[Ire]W. Macready Irishman in London II i: Oh, charming! you make me young again—Egad I begin to think—oh dear.
[UK] ‘Sung in Two to One’ Songster’s Companion 64: Adzooks, old Crusty! why so rusty, Stupid, queer, and mumpy? Egad, if you don’t mend your manners, Somebody will lump you.
[UK]G. Colman Yngr Poor Gentleman III i: Egad so you did!
[UK]Last Act in New British Theatre I iii: Egad, I think so.
[US]J.K. Paulding Bucktails (1847) III ii: Egad, admiral, this beats the Labors of Hercules put together.
[UK]C. Dibdin Yngr Larks of Logic, Tom and Jerry I ii: Egad! if it didn’t savour of conceit, I should consider myself a handsome fellow.
[US]‘Geoffrey Crayon’ Tales of A Traveller (1850) 22: Egad, you have not given any thing a chance to happen.
[UK] ‘I’m One of the New Police’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 206: I’m one of the New Police — egad.
[UK] in Egan Bk of Sports 183: ‘Egad, you’re just right,’ says the breeches.
[UK] ‘The Lady’s Front’ Knowing Chaunter 6: Why, Jenny, by Jingo, betwixt your two thighs, / Egad I have found your long lost hairy front!
[UK]Thackeray Yellowplush Papers in Works III (1898) 373: Violet won’t know me; and, egad! I’ll run off with her.
[Ire]S. Lover Handy Andy 15: Egad, maybe they’ll hang him for this!
[UK]G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd series 34: ‘Egad!’ said he, laughing.
[US]Southern Literary Messenger Apr. 218: Egad, if I was starving, I’d steal a calf.
[UK]M.E. Braddon Trail of the Serpent 334: Egad, Peters, I think you’d make evidence, if there wasn’t any.
[Aus]M. Clarke Term of His Natural Life (1897) 23: Ask me! Egad I wish you would, you black-eyed minx!
[UK]M.E. Braddon Mohawks III 148: Egad, I shall have to commit bigamy if she doesn’t.
[US]A.C. Gunter M.S. Bradford Special 53: Egad! it will only cost me a bottle of wine.
[UK]Sporting Times 12 May 1/5: ‘Two months, egad,’ laughed the commander, ‘why I haven’t seen mine for nearly twelve!’.
[UK]Gem 23 Jan. 27: ‘Egad!’ muttered Lord Gethlin.
[UK]Marvel 5 Feb. 4: ‘Eh? Egad!’ cried the marquis.
[US]B. Hecht A Thousand and One Afternoons [ebook] The curtain is up. Egad, what a masterly scene.
[UK](con. 1835–40) P. Herring Bold Bendigo 20: Egad! Here’s Sam Turner giving a boxing lesson.
[UK]Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 8: Egad, Jeeves! Fancy that.
[Aus]S .J. Baker 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.
[US] in W.C. Fields By Himself (1974 261: Egad, – what a woman.
[UK]Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 102: ‘Egad!’ I said [...] ‘This is not so good.’.
[UK]Willans & Searle Complete Molesworth (1985) 154: Ho fie lo egad and away for it is the BELL.
[US]H.S. Thompson letter 6 Apr. in Proud Highway (1997) 370: Ah, yes, ah ... egad, the meaning of it.
[UK]Wodehouse Much Obliged, Jeeves 12: Does he, egad!
[UK]R. Dahl Rhyme Stew (1990) 36: The brainy men all cried, ‘Egad! / Oh, Majesty, you lucky lad!’.
[UK]Guardian Rev. 1 Oct. 16: Worse still, they’d want to start bands. Egad!