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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

God help someone en · INTJ

Etymology

Compare Old English God helpe sumes mannes.

Meanings

  1. (qualifier:second or third person) Expressing pity, commiseration, or benediction (in a literally or figuratively religious way).
    • God help him, he's just trying to stay afloat.
    • Well, you certainly tried your best, God help you.
    • ‘[…]But we want to be a bit more experimental than that. We want to retain our pop sensibilities, but kind of stretch them a bit.’ God help us. ‘Sounds great.’ 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 143:
    • God help yon poor pale girl, who droops forlorn, / And meekly her affliction doth endure; / God help her, outcast lamb; she trembling stands, / All wan her lips, and frozen red her hands; […] 1848, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Mary Barton:
  2. (qualifier:second or third person) Expressing a threat or a warning to the person who violates some rule or condition. (The implication is that something so bad will happen, such as the speaker punishing the other person or a disaster ensuing, that the other person will need God's protection from that wrath or calamity.)
    • God help you if you break my equipment because you were acting like a bull in a china shop. [ = I'll beat your ass if you do that.]
    • God help you
    • “God help anyone who touches wine destined for Amram's lips!” Eliazar laughed as he lifted the skins on the cart to reach for a piece of bread to chew as he walked. 2011, Simon Perry, All Who Came Before, page 60:
    • God help them
    • God help you if you set sail in this weather. [ = You'll be lucky to survive if you do that.]
  3. (first-person) An expression of astonishment, dismay, bemusement, or a jocular hint of any of those.
    • God help me
    • God help us! They're actually going to run an AI arms race without bothering to agree a framework for AI safety first.
    • Near-synonyms: lawdamercy; Jesus Christ; Jesus, Mary and Joseph; Lord love a duck
    • God help us
    • I'm going to have a go, God help me. Wish me luck.
    • They might just have the tiger by the tail, God help us.

Synonyms

Jesus, Mary and Joseph · Lord love a duck · God love someone · heaven help someone · heaven help someone · heaven help someone · lawdamercy · Jesus Christ

Translations (2)

sv Gud nåde någon (pity or commiseration) · sv Gud nåde någon (threat)