Jesus, Mary and Joseph
- idiom
- Irish
:
¡Jesús, María y José!
- When I opened the door, I gasped, 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph!'
Examples
-
I can't believe you did that! Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
-
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what happened to your car?
-
'Jesus, Mary and Joseph, are you all right?' she exclaimed.
-
Oh my goodness! Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Did you see that?
-
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I can't believe what I just saw!
-
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, are you serious about this news?
-
When she heard the loud crash, she shouted, 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph!'
Synonyms
3
9.6
To say when you are very surprised or shocked
1
9.9
A funny online spelling of Jesus used to show surprise
1
9.9
An old Irish word said to show surprise or strong feeling
A short cry showing surprise or shock
A strong cry showing surprise or shock
A short phrase people say to show surprise or frustration instead of using a religious name
A short shout that shows surprise or shock
To show surprise or doubt
A word people say to show strong surprise
A short phrase showing surprise or disbelief
How Surprised
- Offensive
26
9.9
- Irish
- Archaic
5
7.5
321
6.6
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
This string of proper names functions as a cultural/religious expletive rather than a compositional proposition; knowing 'Jesus', 'Mary' and 'Joseph' as individuals does not let a learner deduce that the phrase signals surprise or shock. The usage is formulaic and culturally specific (especially Irish/vernacular English), so the overall meaning is idiomatic and unpredictable from the parts.
Etymology
Jesus, Mary and Joseph likely comes from people calling on the Christian holy family when something shocked them. One popular story says that in Catholic areas people would say the three names Jesus, Mary, and Joseph together as a strong oath, so the phrase now means 'surprise' or 'shock'.