Sweet Jesus
- idiom
- Informal
:
¡Dios mío!
- Oh, sweet Jesus.
Examples
-
Sweet Jesus, I can't believe how beautiful this place is!
-
Sweet Jesus!
-
Sweet Jesus, I repent.
-
Sweet Jesus, that was the most surprising news I've heard all week!
-
Sweet Jesus, I nearly fainted when I saw the final score!
Synonyms
26
9.9
A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked
17
9.4
A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling
9
7.7
A short phrase people say to show surprise, shock, or admiration
5
7.5
A short phrase people say to show surprise or shock
A short cry showing surprise or shock
A shout people say when they are very surprised or do not believe something
A strong cry showing surprise or shock
A short cry of surprise when something is hard to believe
Surface Forms
Morphology
sweet + Jesus
This is an exclamative oath invoking a religious name; the sense 'an expression of surprise or shock' cannot be compositionally derived from 'sweet' (pleasant) + 'Jesus' (a proper name). Although many languages use religious names as interjections, the appraisal meaning is idiomatic and not predictable from the constituent meanings alone, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer the exclamation sense.
Etymology
Sweet Jesus may come from people calling on Jesus in a sudden, emotional moment, with sweet added as a warm, extra word. That's why people use it today to show 'surprise' or strong feeling.