for the love of Mike
1
9.9
- idiom
- UK
:
por el amor de Dios
- For the love of Mike, don’t leave the door unlocked when you go out.
Examples
-
For the love of Mike, turn the music down before the neighbors complain.
-
Could you please stop making that noise, for the love of Mike?
-
I wish you would, for the love of Mike, just pay attention for once.
-
Oh, for the love of Mike, can you just listen?
-
Oh, for the love of Mike, how long must I suffer?
-
For the love of Mike!
-
For the love of Mike, it's time to get back to work!
Synonyms
422
7.5
A small amount of care or worry about something
67
8.8
A short cry people say when they feel frustrated or annoyed
62
9.2
A strong word that shows annoyance and makes a request urgent
45
7.6
People say it to show impatience or anger
33
9.9
A very rude phrase people say to show strong anger or annoyance
31
8.2
You say this when you feel very annoyed or impatient
21
9.0
Shows someone is annoyed, impatient, or in a hurry when spoken
17
8.4
A short phrase people say when they feel frustrated or disappointed
16
9.9
A short spoken sound that shows annoyance, doubt, or mild dislike
14
9.9
A strong rude shout people use when they feel very angry or shocked
13
7.5
To show strong feeling, often as an urgent plea
10
7.6
Say it when you are annoyed to ask someone to do or stop something
9
9.9
To show strong frustration and make a request sound urgent
2
8.2
A person asks angrily and urgently for someone to act now
2
8.7
A phrase that shows frustration or annoyance
To ask or beg strongly when you are upset
A strong spoken request or cry that shows shock and anger
A rude phrase people say to show strong anger or frustration
How Emphatic
- Offensive
- Informal
13
7.5
- UK
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a fixed exclamatory formula (a softened oath) expressing exasperation or urgency that cannot be predicted from the literal meanings of 'for', 'the', 'love', 'of', and the name 'Mike'. This idiomatic use is culturally and pragmatically specific, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words but hasn't encountered the expression would not reliably infer its pragmatic meaning.
Etymology
For the love of Mike probably began as a safe way to say 'for the love of God'—people used the common name 'Mike' instead of God's name so they would not 'offend' others. So today people say for the love of Mike to show anger, urgency, or annoyance without using stronger words.