Sweet Fancy Moses!- exclamation of considerable surprise.
Holy Mackerel! (I use this frequently)- exclamation of less surprise.
Goodness gracious- mild surprise.
I usually say “Jeezum Crow.” I know I got that from somewhere, so I didn’t make it up. Nevertheless, I get the strangest looks when I use that phrase.
Lately I’ve been saying “shizzle-sticks!”
Cheese ‘n’ Rice!!
Fuc-crying out loud!
My G-rated version of this is “monkey bumpers!” Or “monkey humpers” if you want PG.
“Pooh!” or “Oh, pooh!” or “Drat!” - annoyance, anger, disappointment, etc.
“Holy Christmas!” or “Holy Hannah!” or “Heavens to Betsy!” or “Merciful Heavens!” - surprise or shock.
One of my co-workers scolds his code (we’re programmers) by saying “Oh, you dog!” I asked him to stop insulting dogs…
Shinola!
Shaaaaaaazam! (best when combined with Gomer Pyle impersonation)
Oh, vertutst!
Oh, fork!
Oh, bad word!
Mice! (shamelessly stolen from some Piers Anthony book; I have one of my co-workers saying it too)
Drat!
Bugger! (I know what it means, but most of the people who hear me say it don’t)
Dang! Sometimes stretched into Double dog dangit!
Bacon lettuce! (silly story behind that one)
Friggin’ heck!
F-word! (when asked by impressionable children, I tell them, “Frog.”)
Fiddle Sticks
“Holy F@#king Moly! How can someone be that stupid?!”
“Poop. I hate it when that happens.”
“Yikes. Did you wake up with that hair?”
The “F@#king” would be “Freakin’,” in case you were wondering.
Somewhere recently I saw a picture of a sideshow tent circa 1908, wherein performed one “Jolly Trixie”, who weighed 418lbs. The banners on either side of the stage enthused:
HOLY
SMOKE
SHE’S
FAT
SHE’S
AWFUL
FAT!!!
So lately, I’ve been going around saying “holy smoke” a lot. It makes me feel virtuous, considering how foul-mouthed I can be sometimes.
"Cheez-a-pete!" Variation on “Geezo pete,” mentioned further up the thread.
"Holy ned!" Picked it up from a Bob and Ray sketch where a little kid says things like “Glorioskey,” “Great day in the morning,” and “Gosh all hemlock, Mr. Science!”
"Guacamole!" Courtesy George Carlin.
Beware: My mother used to say “Great day in the morning”! She hasn’t said it for years, and I completely forgot the expression until you mentioned it.
The one I’ve been using lately is “What in the name of Cecil B. Demille…”
Robin
I use “oh, bother” too, but it can’t be said as an ejaculation, it’s more like a sigh of resignment when something’s gone awry.
In that vein, I also use “barnacles!” and “tartar sauce!” We’re big Spongebobites.
One woman I know, who was quite capable of heavier swearing, regularly said
“Piffle!”
on mild occasions. It’s so off-the-wall unusual that it stood out. Who says “Piffle” these days?
Pepper Mill Uses
“Fudge Nut Brownies!”
It apparently lets her get that initially satisfying “Fu…” out first, and the long expression afterwards blows off steam.
The people I work with are good, church-goin’ folk, so around here I usually say “Holy smokes!”. Usually, though, it’s a nice slow “Good…Gravy.”
I favor “Feh!” for flaunting and “Blast!” for chagrined disappointment.