Would you consider By Jove to be blasphemy?

[Dinopawus]

First world non-problem & I have no intention of doing anything about at all, apart from having a gentle chuckle.

DD has just announced that her English Teacher said today that she wants to reintroduce "By Jove" as an expression. I'm not offended by this, although I had always assumed it was blasphemous, so I'm mildly amused and have suggested that DD might want to pick her audience before embracing the phrase.

For additional context, her school is very strict re swearing and pupils who are caught usually get a short fixed term exclusion.

So wise Mumsnetters would you consider this to be Ok in a school that takes a hard line on swearing, and is it actually blasphemy as I thought?

God has hooks? Like Captain Hook, or coat hooks, or grappling hooks for pirating ships?

We jokingly say "oh my Dawkins" and "Dawkins it", instead of oh my god and damn it. I didn't know the origin of By Jove, haven't heard it in ages!

Or like velcro?

I quite like saying Jumping Jehoshaphat 😊

Who or what are you invoking with By Gum? The god of dentists? In which case I'd say it's definitely due a revival.

😂 not blasphemous. Just very old fashioned.

I’d have to take the piss a little, and start saying “by Yoda!” If I were in that person’s classroom.

this reminds me of a story my grandmother used to delight in: when she was a little girl (so: probably somewhere in the 1920’s), she was in a religious school, and they each had to say a line in a biblical story for a presentation.
One of the little girls was most distressed at the word “ass,” and cried/ refused to say it, so the teacher said “okay, switch that word with donkey then- it’s just a donkey.”

the day of the presentation, the girl said, in very precise, prim tones, (and my grandmother at this point would put on her squeakiest, most prissy voice): “The donkey opened his ass and brayed.” ☠️

Lawks a mussy is a favourite of mine, although I suspect it's a derivative of Lord have mercy.

I say Jakers a lot. Hope that doesn't offend

Jeepers creepers anyone?

I’m all for speaking the name of great Bastet!

😆😆😆

By jove, it's nothing to get your toga in a twist about.

Do not arouse the wrath of the Ofurlords, the Furrinati! 😾

Rickman?

Only if you believe in the Roman gods.

As an alternative, may I suggest “By Grabthar's Hammer, by the Sons Of Warvan, you shall be avenged!"

@MichelleScarn No SIR, but I do bite my thumb, SIR

It calls upon the power of Jupiter, so strictly speaking it is kind of a bit disrespectful if you are supposed to believe in a monotheistic deity. I mean, there's a whole Hebrew Bible / Old Testament about all sorts of, erm, struggles in the pagan vs jehovah belief department.

Some deaths may have been involved.

Only the one true god, the god of Abraham, has the power. Jupiter's just some fantasy warlord from the swamps of Latium, conflated with the creepy rapey Greek god Zeus, if you look at it through a certain lens.

Not wearing glasses, read this as Bon Jovi...

There is no blasphemy in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law_in_the_United_Kingdom#:~:text=8%20External%20links-,England%20and%20Wales,and%20Religious%20Hatred%20Act%202006.

By Jove!
No one says that anymore 😂

Bon Jovi! is a pretty excellent oath to be fair.

even if it was, why would it matter?

just because someone holds something to be special does not mean all people must treat that same thing as such

Best thread in ages 😂😂😂

Thanks for ask OP as I thought it was about jehovah too

When my children were little we resorted to crikey and oh crumbs 😂