Christ on a stick
- idiom
- Offensive
:
Jesucristo
- You spent how much on shoes? Christ on a stick, that's ridiculous!
Examples
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When he saw the mess, he muttered, 'Christ on a stick!'
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I can't believe he said that! Christ on a stick!
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Christ on a stick, how did this project get approved?
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What did he just say? Christ on a stick!
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You spent how much on shoes? Christ on a stick, that's ridiculous!
-
When he saw the mess, he muttered, 'Christ on a stick!'
-
I can't believe he said that! Christ on a stick!
Synonyms
8
7.6
A short phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief
3
9.6
To say when you are very surprised or shocked
2
9.6
A short surprised phrase people say when they are shocked
A shout people say when they are very surprised or do not believe something
An old-fashioned word people say to show disbelief or annoyance
A short phrase people say to show surprise or frustration instead of using a religious name
To show surprise or doubt
A short shout to show surprise or amazement
A short cry showing surprise or shock
A short shout that shows surprise or shock
A word people say to show strong surprise
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The exclamatory meaning ('expressing disbelief, surprise or ridicule') does not follow from the literal constituents 'Christ' + 'on' + 'a' + 'stick'—the phrase is an absurd, culturally marked expletive rather than a predictable composition. This is an idiomatic, potentially taboo expression whose function and pragmatic force are language- and culture-specific, so a B1 learner knowing the words would not reliably infer its meaning.
Etymology
Christ on a stick may come from a rude, comic picture: imagine Christ put on a stick like a puppet or a sign, a strange and shocking image. That's why people use it as a quick exclamation to show 'surprise', 'disbelief' or to make fun of something ridiculous.