bejesus

English

Alternative forms

• bejaysus, bejeebers, bejeepers, bejeebus, bejeesus, bejeezus

Etymology

Reduced form of by Jesus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈd͡ʒiːzəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːzəs

Interjection

bejesus

1. Expressing surprise, annoyance, dismay, or anger.
   • 1949, James T. Farrell, The Road Between, Vanguard Press, page 25:

     The young stinker and smeller dug in his pocket, pulled something out, and, bejesus, the young stinker and smeller was giving him something.

Noun

bejesus (uncountable)

1. (euphemistic) Used for emphasis, similar to crap, shit or wits.

   The bear scared the bejesus out of us.

   He said you confused the bejesus out of him.

   This old lady just completely slapped the bejesus out of him.

   That screaming, flaming skull in the closet totally scared the bejesus out of me!

   • 1949, Richard Harrity, Hope is the Thing with Feathers, Dramatists Play Service, page 18:

     But they give me clothes for my body, and food for my belly, and tonight, I'm so happy, I could beat the living bejesus outa this goddam drum.

   • 1972, Henry Kissinger, Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Office of the Historian:

     Nixon: You see what I mean? We can’t take it.

     Kissinger: I agree. That’s why we’ve got to blast—

     Nixon: That’s right.

     Kissinger: —the living bejeezus out of North Vietnam. We will gain nothing for restraint—.

     Nixon: That’s right—

   • 1995, Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age […] , New York: Bantam Spectra, →ISBN:

     Martial arts mean beating the bejesus out of people.

   • 2018, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “Jason Statham fighting a giant shark should be a lot more fun than The Meg”, in The A.V. Club:

     The dorsal fin is one of the animal kingdom’s masterstrokes of branding; it looks like a tooth, and we don’t need to see the rest of the shark to have the bejesus scared out of us.

See also

• bejabbers
• begad
• gadzooks
• geez