Who in Sam Hill is calling this hour of the night!

To be Erkle-ish, “Did I say that?” Yes, I did, but if you rather I say….

Southerners like mincing words, and they get their point across while doing so.

Have you ever used the phrase, who or what in Sam Hill? But more importantly, do you know what you actually said or asked?

You asked ‘who in hell’ is calling this hour of the night?

Sam Hill is a mince oath. What’s a mince oath?

A mince oath is an expression or substituted word that reduces the offensiveness of the original term.

Sam Hill replaces the word hell.

What in Sam Hill is an exclamation of surprise, shock, anger, or disgust.

Many mince oaths are religious in nature and used to avoid speaking or invoking God’s name or a Biblical saint in vain.

Some examples include: ‘Jiminy Cricket’ (Jesus Christ}, for ‘Pete’s sake’ (for St. Peter’s sake).

Southerners have a polite way of saying unflattering things by mincing words or matters. In other words, they can cuss or swear without cursing and swearing.

My favorite exclamatory substitution for darn or damn is BLASTED!

After Mom heard me use it several times, she soon told me she knew what I was saying. She told me to refrain from using the word. So I started using CRAP.

But it’s best to have a few mince oaths in your pocket and on standby. We know that profanity or cuss words can surprise us.

Like Jack in the Box, they pop out!

Pain will make even the best ‘goodie too-shoes’ curse before realizing it.

Damn it! or a good mince oath like ‘dagnammit’ makes the pain easier to bear.

A simple ouch! isn’t sufficient when you slam the car door on your hand.

I don’t have to tell you, today, most people don’t bother mincing anything. Whatever comes out—it is what it is.

Here are a few other mince oaths:

Dang – Damn

Dagnammit or Dagnabbit – God damn it

Doggone – God damn

Drat – God rot it

Minced or not, RELEASE and RELIEF are the desired result.