The use of 'Gosh'...in real life?

[JinglingHellsBells]

I've recently seen posters using this on MN yet in real life I don't know anyone using it in speech.

The only person I know who uses it a lot is my Mum's neighbour, in her late 80s, and even as a child I thought it was quite antiquated and '1950s'.

I simply don't know anyone who says that word now.

(and I'm solidly middle class with educated middle class friends, if that makes any difference.)

@Clymene

I say goodness and gosh all the time. And fuck.

This!

@Loveinatimeofcovid I LOVE that you’ve described yourself as “solidly upper middle” as I’ve never met anyone IRL who admits to this .

@breadcakebiscuits I don’t think I could admit to it irl without dying of embarrassment. But when someone comes on mn to point out how middle class they are I have no shame, no shame! IF YOU DIDN’T GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOL YOU ARE BASICALLY A PEASANT!

But in all seriousness, nothing irritates me more than middle classers who are so insecure about it they refuse to have friends outside of that just in case someone doesn’t get just how middle class they are. It’s completely unnecessary, the head to toe joules and tiny Range Rover are a dead give away that you sit snack hang in the middle of the social hierarchy, no one it’s going to miss the memo!

I use it quite a lot but also swear. Gosh is for occasions when I’m shocked, which is quite often. Another solidly upper middle person.

I have never used it and don't know anyone who does - they mostly just say Oh my God, or sometimes Oh my Goddess since some of my friends are witches. I think it depends on circles you mix in maybe. None of my close friends have children, so don't moderate their swearing when we are socialising - unless we're out.

I use gosh. And goodness. So do my children. I'm in my 50s.

I find "oh my god" so grating, especially when said by children. (I'm not religious)

@breadcakebiscuits no it isn’t. Golly in this context does not. It is an alternative to God to avoid blasphemy.

Nothing to do with Golly associated with Blacking up. You do know that the same word can gave 2 meanings right? Get off your Right On high horse

But in all seriousness, nothing irritates me more than middle classers who are so insecure about it they refuse to have friends outside of that just in case someone doesn’t get just how middle class they are. It’s completely unnecessary, the head to toe joules and tiny Range Rover are a dead give away that you sit snack hang in the middle of the social hierarchy, no one it’s going to miss the memo!

I'm not in the least bit embarrassed or insecure about being middle class. My mother, me, my brother were all brought up in the same family farm house which is now owned by my brother and my nephew - with no mortgage on it for over 60 years.

Other than 2 years in a hall of residence at university and 2 years renting a flat after that I've never lived in a house which wasn't owned by me or my family. I had friends at school who lived in social/ Council housing. I don't now have any friends who do. That's nothing to do with "refusing to have friends outside of my class" but entirely due to the social and professional circles I'm in. I don't avoid people who aren't like me but I don't actively look for people who aren't like me.

Is Joules an indicator of being "middle- class"? I've never shopped there. The website looks very run of the mill high steet clothes.

I say gosh, jings, crivens, blimey, crikey, heavens to Betsy, damn and blast, tarnation.

16:28breadcakebiscuits

“Golly” is derived from the minstrel shows. Some people really need to educate themselves with some more authoritative sources than the top line of Google

@midsomermurderess
if you’re not black you don’t get to decide if something is or isn’t racist

How arrogant and ignorant.

golly1

/ˈɡɒli/

exclamation

INFORMAL

exclamation:golly; exclamation:by golly

used to express surprise or delight.

"Golly! Is that the time?"

Origin

late 18th century: euphemism forGod.

I know someone who puts on a "little innocent me" facade with most people and she uses gosh, goodness, golly etc whilst pearl clutching. It's hilarious, the minute they are out of earshot her pitch lowers to normal and she swears like a trooper.

EmeraldPink are you my Mam? You just described me. 😂

@Megan2018
@DidoLamenting

Would be good if you could provide sources for your —Googling— claim. Does the date it enters usage not provide a clue? Or are you going to accept the whitewashed explanation because it makes you feel better about your own ignorance?

I’m not right on, I’ve just troubled to educate myself. Have you learnt nothing about racism this summer?

(Sitting here muttering it to myself)...

I think I do say it but only when I am about to say something sarcastic.

I say it a lot at work. It’s used because if I said fucking hell as often as I’d like, I’d get the sack.

Congratulations @Megan2018, that was a marvellous display of intelligence.

Gosh! Such a surprise that the kind of people who get all their facts from Facebook resort to ad hominem attacks when asked to verify their sources !

‘Golly’ is a ‘minced oath’.

It might be @WhattheHhashappened, but it’s still racist.

You might not have intended to be racist when you used the term, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t.

Its word origins are very much embedded in the American Civil War, blackface, minstrel shows, golliwogs etc.

It’s offensive to black people and it’s not harming me in any way not to use it. I’m not sure what the problem is here.

By golly --> By God's body
By gosh --> By God

Struggling to see the etymology there?

I have never heard of 'golly gosh' being offensive to black people......

Yes, the meanings of words change over time and I agree that later usage of the word ‘Golly’ refers to ‘Golly wogs’.
The origin of ‘Golly Gosh’ is quite different though.
I don’t want to join in with your argument with others in here though bread.

I can’t quote from the OED here as I’m not a subscriber, but it goes into some detail about the word origins and problematic usage. I trust it over Wikipedia.

There are lots of historians and linguists who have debated this and other racial slurs. An excellent book called “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” outlines the arguments.

Ok so different words essentially...still prob best to avoid 'golly' and stick to 'gosh'.

'Oh golly/oh gosh'/come lie on the couch/with a nice bit of posh /from Burnham on Crouch '

Unforgettable lyrics...