# When they say "for Pete's sake", who is pete? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750 "2006-08-15T01:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/1 "2006-08-15T01:28:46Z")
Who is he and why are they saying his name? Another question about sayings. When someone is speaking about a subject or two, sometimes people say “and not to mention, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_” and then they mention it anyway. Why do they do that? ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/2 "2006-08-15T01:41:36Z")
I would guess they’re referring to the biblical Peter. And the “not to mention” thing is just a figure of speech. It’s referring to the fact that the thing not mentioned wasn’t mentioned before they said it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/3 "2006-08-15T02:00:21Z")
It may be a corruption of “for pity’s sake.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/4 "2006-08-15T02:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] It may be a corruption of “for pity’s sake.” [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, [cite](http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0405a&L=worldwidewords&P=91). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/5 "2006-08-15T02:20:47Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355348&highlight=pete's+sake](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355348&highlight=pete%27s+sake) A previous thread which may give some enlightenment. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/6 "2006-08-15T02:27:12Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355348&highlight=pete's+sake](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355348&highlight=pete%27s+sake) A previous thread which may give some enlightenment. [/QUOTE] DOH ! I should’ve used the search. ☹ Thanks ! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/7 "2006-08-15T06:06:03Z")
My dad? ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/8 "2006-08-15T06:09:44Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] My dad? [/QUOTE] That’s what I was thinkin.. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/9 "2006-08-15T06:09:55Z")
He’s just this guy, you know? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/10 "2006-08-15T16:38:36Z")
[QUOTE=hawksgirl] He’s just this guy, you know? [/QUOTE] I think you’re right. He’s like Al Gettout. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-say-for-petes-sake-who-is-pete/368750/11 "2006-08-15T16:50:48Z")
[QUOTE=diggleblop] Another question about sayings. When someone is speaking about a subject or two, sometimes people say “and not to mention, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_” and then they mention it anyway. Why do they do that? [/QUOTE] As **Strinka** points out, this is a figure of speech, more specifically called [Paralipsis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralipsis). Originally this was an ironic way of mentioning a bad quality of a person/thing without admitting you are mentioning it. However, “not to mention” has become such a cliche in modern English that it’s almost equivalent to “and”.