Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14
QUEER FACTS ABOUT OATHS.
How People Swear and Where the
Cuss Words Came From.

"You need not have looked severe because
said that didn't care DAM" said a gruff ole
Senator in conversation with the Sunday.
school reporter Of The STAR THAT is not
swearing. The expression has very 6ifferen,
meaning from what is popularity supposed, and
was originated by the Duke of Wellington A
dam in India Is the smallest piece of money
known, and not to care that much means sim.
ply that one is very indifferent. That was all
the phrase was intended to signify. The word
damn, from the Latin verb meaning to con-
DENIM is a very different thing. Curiously
enough, it seems almost invariably to be the
first word in our language acquired by for
elgners, and it has always been such favorite
with the English that In the last century the
French always referred to them as the God
dams distinguished Gallo writer of that
epoch said that English was a beautiful tonpne
and that 'Goddam' was the basis of il. People
OF that nation he remarked, have few other
principal one is Goddam. You can 60 any
where in England if you know that
"A funny misrepresentation also exists as to
the expression, Go to the deuce People GEN
orally suppose that deuce means devil.
whereas as matter of fact it is derived d.
rectly from the Latin Deus'-'God.' So, when
any one tells you to 60 to the deuce he is I'M
consciously utteriDg the best of good wishes
for your welfare.
ANCIENT swEARERs.
Speaking of Latin reminds me that among
the ancient Romans it was considered the
thing for each man to have some particular
god to habitually swear by. Some swore by
Jupiter, others by Mars, others still by Minerva.
and so on. The demi-gods. like Hercules and
Castor and Pollux, were also made use of in the
way of oaths. Castor and Pollux were usually
appealed to as the 'Twins'-'By Geminir-the
phrase whence we get our exclamation BY
Jimmy 1t was thought very improper for
Roman ladies to swear by the male gods but
they were permitted to take the names of the
Twins in vain, and also especially that of Venus.
In moments of great aggravation they might
go so far as to cry 'Mecastorr-sBy
Castor! The Greeks swore by the cabbage.
which was the most priced of vegetables and
even to this day the same oath is often heard
in Italy, while in France lover is being in
tensely affectionate when he calls the lady of
his heart his petit chou or little cabbage ;
BY jingo' is from Jincoa,' the Basque name
for God. Barbarous tribes >have been accus.
toned to swear by the head of their ruler
Queen Elizabeth is said to have been a very
hard swearer, as ladies were very apt to be in
her day. Louis TX of France forbade the use
by his courtiers of such oaths as 'Pardleu.'
Cordieu,' 'Tetedieu,' and so on. There
CHANGED 10 belong to one Of the ladies of the
court a small pet dog named 'Bleu.' The cour-
tiers made up their minds to swear by the dog
instead of by the Deity, and hence came the
parbleus and corbleus of later times Pythago-
ras had favorite oath which most people
would consider not sufficiently forcible to be
satisfactory. He swore by the number four
which the Greeks regarded as symbolizing
perfection"