Anyone heard the expression "be the Jesus" used?
I am reading a book called KITS LAW about a family living In a Newfoundland outport in the 1950s or 60s. One of the characters keeps using this expression.
One example:
Be the Jesus, Josie, if you ever gets up and runs out of church again

Tetrachloride
(8,858 posts)raccoon
(31,968 posts)Regional English
Tetrachloride
(8,858 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(57,352 posts)odins folly
(435 posts)stopdiggin
(14,106 posts)"By the Jesus" - with an inflection and meaning (expostulation) that seems quite similar. Perhaps an author that is trying on a dialect?
gab13by13
(29,087 posts)it's By The Jesus.
Another old one is "Ostia" which means host which equals Jesus Christ. Not sure about my "Italian", I think, spelling.
Swear words.
yorkster
(3,275 posts)Bejeesus has a similar origin. I once had the luck to go to Newfoundland for a week. The eastern part of the Island is heavily populated with people of Irish descent and to my ear it sounded like being in Galway.
Another common NFLD expression is "I's the B'y" or I'm the guy, I'm the man. Pronounced like eyes the buy.
Interesting place, would love to see it again.
Tanuki
(15,954 posts)out of him" or "Bejesus, Mike, what were you thinking?"