Jumping Jehoshaphat
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A comic, mild oath used to express sudden surprise, amazement, alarm, or impatience without swearing directly. Best suited to humorous, period, or deliberately exaggerated dialogue. The biblical name supplies sound and solemnity, not a theological claim. Regional use: American English.
Origin
The expression developed in 19th-century American speech as one of many euphemistic oaths built around an impressive biblical name. Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah, but the idiom does not describe a biblical episode in which he jumps. A dialect spelling, 'jumpin' Geehosofat,' appears in Mayne Reid's American-set novel The Headless Horseman, published in 1866. The alliteration helped its comic force; why 'jumping' became the preferred modifier is not securely known.
Research Sources
Variants
- Jumpin' Jehoshaphat
- Jumping Geehosofat
Usage Examples
- Jumping Jehoshaphat, that thunderclap shook every window in the house.
- The old prospector stared at the nugget and shouted, 'Jumping Jehoshaphat!'
- Jumping Jehoshaphat, how did you finish all those calculations before lunch?