By Toutatis
- idiom
- UK
:
¡Por Toutatis!
- The chef shouted, 'By Toutatis, that’s the best soufflé I’ve ever made!'
Examples
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By Toutatis, did you see who just walked into the room?
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By Toutatis, I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone by!
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By Toutatis, I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by!
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By Toutatis, did you see who just walked into the room?
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By Toutatis, what a surprise to see you here!
Synonyms
24
9.9
A word people say to show mild surprise
8
9.9
An old-fashioned shout showing surprise, anger, or strong feeling
1
9.9
A short old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
1
9.9
An old Irish word said to show surprise or strong feeling
An old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
A short phrase people say to show surprise or frustration instead of using a religious name
A word people say to show strong surprise
A short phrase people say to show surprise at something amazing
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + Toutatis
The expression is an oath invoking the Celtic god Toutatis; knowledge of the preposition 'by' and recognition of a proper name does not allow a learner to infer that it functions as a surprise/exclamation. Its meaning depends on cultural and lexical reference (and often comic intertext), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to derive the idiomatic use.
Etymology
By Toutatis may come from the name of an old Celtic god people called on in moments of shock or strong feeling. The phrase was made famous by a popular comic about ancient Gauls where characters shout 'By Toutatis', so today people use it to show 'surprise' or 'strong feeling', often in a funny, theatrical way.