suffering Moses en · INTJ
Pronunciation
- /-zəz/ (General-American)
- /ˌsʌf(ə)ɹɪŋ ˈmoʊzəs/ (General-American)
- /-zɪs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌsʌf(ə)ɹɪŋ ˈməʊzɪz/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From suffering (adjective) + Moses, possibly referring to the various difficulties endured by the Hebrew prophet Moses while the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land, related in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua of the Bible.
Meanings
-
(US, dated) An exclamation of dismay, irritation, or surprise.
A whiff of smoke drifted back over my shoulder, and— / "The suffering Moses!" / "Whew!" / "By George, who opened that graveyard?"
1870 October, “Curious Relic for Sale”, in The Galaxy. […], volume X, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Sheldon & Company, […], →OCLC, page 573, column 2:"'Total, twenty-one thousand seven hundred reis! The suffering Moses!—there ain't money enough in the ship to pay that bill! Go—leave me to my misery, boys, I am a ruined community.
1869, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter V, in The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims’ Progress; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. […], →OCLC, page 52:But if I lay my hands on Scannel—if we catch him in the corner—holy, suffering Moses, but I'll make him squeal!
a. 1903 (date written), Frank Norris, chapter IX, in The Pit: A Story of Chicago (The Epic of the Wheat; 2), New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., published February 1903, →OCLC, page 320:"Suffering Moses!" Lonergan groaned. "How ever did you pull off the Brazil contract without brains!"
1929, Sax Rohmer [pseudonym; Arthur Henry Ward], “Mr. John Lonergan”, in The Day the World Ended, Orient edition, New York, N.Y.: P[eter] F[enelon] Collier & Son Company, by special arrangement with Doubleday, Doran & Company, published 1930, →OCLC, section 1, page 65:
Synonyms
Holy Mother of God · zoiks · my sainted uncle · mamma mia · blast · lawks a-mercy · Jiminy Cricket · oh my hell · ruddy hell · geez · I'll be a monkey's uncle · Christ · blow me · ay · shut my mouth · ruddy Nora · I'll be hanged · damn · good gracious · dammit · O gemini · gaw · son of a bitch · fuck · hot damn · fuark · strewth · shart · I say · ye gods · cor lummy · heck · I'm blowed · jinkies · blow me tight · Christ on a raft · omigosh · bloody hell · wowzers · geez Louise · shut the front door · bloody Nora · hello · I'll be damned · lordy · my gosh · dear God · sacré bleu · frak · jeez · I'll be shot · cor blimey · gee willikers · goodness gracious me · holy fuck · my Lord · Mother of God · lawl · jeepers creepers · by gummy · blow me down · gadsbud · holy cricket · what do you know · holy crap · oh em gee · dadgummit · wowee · crud · by the living jingo · by George · googly-moogly · I'll be dipped in shit · holy fuck knuckles · 'struth · holy Moses · holy crickets · shiver my timbers · I'll be darned · poo · fudge · by Allah · gadzooks · criminy · ish · goodness me · goshdarn · flipping heck · hang it all · gramercy · what · holy guacamole · hallo · jeez Louise · egads · flipping Nora · blow me pink · fucking Nora · holy stromboli · holy cow · OMG · I'll be · by jingo · crap · crivvens · jings · goodness · rah · by gosh · holy moley · lauks · goddammit · great balls of fire · knock me over with a feather · oh my goodness · leapin' lizards · slap my ass and call me Judy · fuck me · zowie · good gravy · sakes alive · sodding hell · holy cannoli · dash it · sweet mother of Jesus · yikes bikes · nuts · Jesus H. Christ · I'll be a son of a gun · 'sheart · sweet Jesus · holy ravioli · ohmigod · great googly moogly · holy Toledo · holy doodle · holy Moses · chuffing hell · oh my Lord · darn · holy Hannah · gosh all hemlock · darn it · dizamn · fiddle · heavens · Jeebus · God Almighty · by thunder · my heavens · I never · doggone · Holy Mother · holy dignity · oh my · byrlady · holy shit · shoot · holy smoke · Holy Mother · sweet Mary · fiddlestick · suffering Moses · holy macaroni · by God · oh my Goddess · Jesus Murphy · I'll be dashed · Holy Mother of God · heavens to Murgatroyd · oh my fuck · ZOMFG · I'll be dipped · by cracky · hell's bells · coo · Jupiter · blige · dearie me · Gordon Bennett · Janey Mack · oh my goodness gracious · suffering succotash · by Jove · holy crap on a cracker · dash · glory be · oh my word · gosh · holy man · land sakes · dear Lord · Jesum Crow · peas and rice · bleeding heck · Christ alive · goshdarnit · oh my God · get out of town · well · I'll be hornswoggled · hooly dooly · I'll be danged · good Lord · fancy that · good heavens · golly gee willikers · Jesus · geeminy · by Jupiter · holy crud · gee · jeezy-peezy · curses · sweet mother of God · shit fire and save matches · bless my heart · suffering succotash · geshmak · God in heaven · eep · jeepers · hold up · golly gosh · ermahgerd · chihuahua · chihuahua · by juckies · heavens above · great Caesar's ghost · fiddlesticks · odzookens · crikey · mercy sakes · suffering centipedes · cripes · dagnabbit · great Scott · sheesh · waow · jumping Jesus · my · holy buckets · bugger · praise the Lord · I'll be a son of a bitch · mama mia · holy magnum · holy moly · sweet Grandma on stilts · mother of Pearl · deary me · suffering Sappho · oh my days · hell's bloody bells · gracious · oh my life · sugar · my word · fark · God's teeth · shit · bleeding Nora · phooey · dang it · Jerusalem crickets · hell's bloody bells and damnation · snakes alive · by all that is holy · gyatt · good God · holy kamoly · blow me backwards · egad · blow me over · holy hell · drat · odsfish · slap my ass and call me Sally · Jesus Christ · yowzah · Christ on a bike · Lord be praised · my conscience · consarn it · feck · my giddy aunt · Gadsbodikins · I'll be a dirty bird! · dang · son of a gun · blow my buttons · flaming Nora · no way · jeezy peeps · zooterkins · adzooks · strike me pink · great Caesar · blow me up · byrlady · raasclaat · bless us · Judas Priest · suffering cats · cor · golly · Mary and Joseph · gorblimey · Lord · my God · 'sblood · I'll be jiggered · piss · imagine that · son of a gun · oh my gosh · by golly · 4uck · knock me down with a feather · whoa · caramba · my goodness · zoinks · cowabunga · bummer · doggonit · gad so · I'll be bound · lawks · butter my butt and call me a biscuit · my sainted aunt · holy mackerel · Mother of God · Jesus fuck · stone me · I'll be blowed · goodness gracious · oi · bless my soul · d'oh · heavens to Betsy · diggety · holy fudge · gorblimey · Christ on a crutch · begorra · blimey · good golly · oh my heck · mirabile dictu · by gum · my my · whoah · suffering catfish · fucking hell · hell's bells · gee whiz · shitting Nora · frick · fuck me · Lord love a duck · you don't say · fiddlefart · Christ almighty · dear me · Christ on a stick · suffering centipedes · oh my stars · Jaysus · suffering Sappho · hell · ods bodikin · zounds · zound · I'll be buggered · 'sdeath · oh · ZOMG · shucks · fook · good grief · rats · goddamn · stone the crows · ay · omigod · holy kamoley · man alive · Christ on a cracker · good grief · jumping Jehoshaphat · hey · wow · yikes · please · heyday