# Britdopers - "Jesus Wept." **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740 "2008-10-13T17:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/21 "2008-10-14T02:18:19Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’m gonna start saying “Jesus H. Wept!”. FWIW I’ve heard it here too (Ireland). Another popular one is “JESUS, MARY, & JOSEPH!!” We’ve got so many of these things though.. Ah holy mother of God/Christ! would you ever shut up. For the love of fucking Jesus/God would you ever shut up. Sweet Mary Mother of Jesus/Christ! would you ever shut up. and on and on. All quite common here. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/22 "2008-10-14T02:26:43Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > mid-TTLNIV Am I supposed to know what that means? Or should I ask, AISTKWTM? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/23 "2008-10-14T02:43:02Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Am I supposed to know what that means? Or should I ask, AISTKWTM? Well I got it as Taking The Lord’s Name In Vain. Yours has me stumped, though. Never mind. I got it. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/24 "2008-10-14T02:49:38Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’m gonna start saying “Jesus H. Wept!”. FWIW I’ve heard it here too (Ireland). Another popular one is “JESUS, MARY, & JOSEPH!!” Ah, my mom used to say that all the time, before she decided to stop swearing. She used to be able to spit it out in the most panicked moments. I remember my dad losing control of the car once and heading for the ditch, and my mom exclaiming, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” If I’m ever faced with near-certain death, I hope to have the presence of mind to pick such an elaborate exclamation. I’ve never heard “Jesus wept” as a swear, but it’s going into the rotation now. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/25 "2008-10-14T02:58:02Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Well I got it as Taking The Lord’s Name In Vain. > > Yours has me stumped, though. > > Never mind. I got it. Ah, okay. Not a phrase I hear often enough to get the abbreviation. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/26 "2008-10-14T03:04:24Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > We’ve got so many of these things though.. > > Ah holy mother of God/Christ! would you ever shut up. > > For the love of fucking Jesus/God would you ever shut up. > > Sweet Mary Mother of Jesus/Christ! would you ever shut up. > > and on and on. > > All quite common here. Jesus H. baldheaded Christ in a chicken basket. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/27 "2008-10-14T04:09:05Z")
I don’t know how much it is used elsewhere, but certainly it is used here. By me, at least. In BC, Canada. My Dad and Mum both said it, it was something they’d say when something was both maddening and frustrating. The tractor wouldn’t start and then Dad would say, “Jesus wept! The christly thing is out of gas!” I’ve only ever heard Canadians use “christly” in that way, and not so much these days. On the other hand, no one ever said “fuck” out loud in my hearing until I was probably 16 or 17. Times change. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/28 "2008-10-14T04:35:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I don’t think of it as particularly British - my Southern (US) Dad says it sometimes as an “Oh my god I cannot believe how irritatingly stupid this is.” I always took it to _not_ be a sideways curse (he says “dadgummit” for an all-purpose swearword and “GOD ALMIGHTY!” when he hits his thumb with a hammer) but as “Jesus looked at that dumb-shit thing you did and wept!” Yeah, I’m surprised to hear it’s a Britishism as I thought it was a Southern phrase from my parents or grandparents’ generations. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/29 "2008-10-14T05:40:36Z")
> [@vison](#): > > I’ve only ever heard Canadians use “christly” in that way, and not so much these days. You still hear it–maybe it depends on the person. A farmer friend will often say “christly” just as you used it, but most of my business associates would not use it at all. A variation is “jeezly,” as in “The jeezly thing is out of gas!” I can make a good guess at where “jeezly” comes from. 🙂 But yes, “Jesus wept” is used here too. I recall a high school friend using it often, and I still hear it from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/30 "2008-10-14T07:50:57Z")
“Jesus wept” is a common exclamation by characters in Stephen King novels. Maybe it’s a New England thing? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/31 "2008-10-14T08:01:07Z")
I hear it’s from the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/32 "2008-10-14T14:48:33Z")
> [@vison](#): > > I don’t know how much it is used elsewhere, but certainly it is used here. By me, at least. In BC, Canada. My Dad and Mum both said it My mother, lived her entire life in BC, too, said it. It was kind of the ultimate swear for her–it was worse than ‘shit’ (she never said ‘fuck’). It was the apex of disgust with a person or situation, and if I heard her say it, I knew she had \*completely \*had it with whatever. Usually my father. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/33 "2008-10-14T16:04:56Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > That’s exactly how I thought of it; but then, I’m not British either. > > And to keep this CafeSociety – I just heard it used, in The Bank Job (thumbs up, btw). Thank you! I watched that movie this weekend, and when reading this thread, kept thinking “Where the hell did I hear that recently?” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/34 "2008-10-14T16:55:17Z")
Why would Jesus weep? If he had first hand knowledge of Lazarus going off to a better place ,he should have rejoiced. If he believe in heaven ,he would have been happy for him. Why would he feel sadness at any death? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/35 "2008-10-14T17:04:58Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Why would Jesus weep? If he had first hand knowledge of Lazarus going off to a better place ,he should have rejoiced. If he believe in heaven ,he would have been happy for him. Why would he feel sadness at any death? Maybe because he was about to resurrect him? ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/36 "2008-10-14T17:12:34Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Ah, my mom used to say that all the time, before she decided to stop swearing. She used to be able to spit it out in the most panicked moments. I remember my dad losing control of the car once and heading for the ditch, and my mom exclaiming, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” If I’m ever faced with near-certain death, I hope to have the presence of mind to pick such an elaborate exclamation. Similar thing happened to my mum - normally, she swears like a trooper at the slightest provocation, but a few years ago she was held at gunpoint during a bank robbery. Her immediate response was “Jesus, Mary and Joseph”. Apparently an Irish Catholic upbringing is a hard thing to escape. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/37 "2008-10-14T17:26:51Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Similar thing happened to my mum - normally, she swears like a trooper at the slightest provocation, but a few years ago she was held at gunpoint during a bank robbery. Her immediate response was “Jesus, Mary and Joseph”. > > Apparently an Irish Catholic upbringing is a hard thing to escape. It’s got little to nothing to do with religion nowadays. Mostly they have just entered [Hiberno-English](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-English) as common phrases. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/38 "2008-10-14T17:35:39Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I don’t think of it as particularly British - my Southern (US) Dad says it sometimes as an “Oh my god I cannot believe how irritatingly stupid this is.” I always took it to _not_ be a sideways curse (he says “dadgummit” for an all-purpose swearword and “GOD ALMIGHTY!” when he hits his thumb with a hammer) but as “Jesus looked at that dumb-shit thing you did and wept!” Yep, me too. It’s used more in a despairing way than outright anger. More :smack: than :mad: . I’ve used it to express exasperation, but not often. When the kids were little, I used to say “god bless America!” instead of “holy fucking hell!” or similar. Oops… My mother uses “Jesus, Mary and Joseph” and Dad says “if you had more sense than God gave a billy goat…” We’re Orange Irish, if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/39 "2008-10-14T17:48:58Z")
Chocolate Christ on a cookie cross! ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740/40 "2008-10-14T23:18:32Z")
When I was at Texas A&M, I started saying “For the love o’ Sully!” in reference to Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the first President of Texas A&M University whose claim to fame was beating the crap out of a senator from Austin who suggested that Texas A&M be turned into an insane asylum and its funding given to the University of Texas 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-jesus-wept/467740.md?page=3)