Oddsbodkins
/ˈɒdzˌbɒd.kɪnz/noun
An old-fashioned exclamation of surprise or annoyance.
Did you know?Oddsbodkins is a minced oath: a softened form of an older blasphemous exclamation using “God’s body,” showing how English speakers hid taboo speech by mutating sacred words.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
God's bodikins
“A minced oath meaning “God’s little body,” used as a euphemistic exclamation.”
16th-17th Century
English
odds bodkins
“A softened, altered form of the oath, used as an exclamation of surprise or irritation.”
17th Century
English
odsbodikins / oddsbodkins
“Variant spellings and pronunciations continued in colloquial speech and drama.”
Modern English
English
oddsbodkins
“A rare archaic exclamation, now mostly encountered in historical texts or fiction.”