Lordy
Appearance
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Lord + -y. Nineteenth century, originally U.S.
Interjection
[edit]Lordy
- Expressing mild emotion, such as exasperation or frustration.
- Lordy! Where's he off to now?
- 1889 July 11, Herbert Tidd Bradley, “Fo' He am de Lord of de blue and de gray”, in America: A Journal for Americans, volume 2, page 453:
- Aunt Betty graciously permitted this. She always did; but if the forgetful old man wandered for a moment away from his theme she brought him back with a surreptitious: “Lordy! yo' ole head done filled wid me yit."
- 2011 July 18, John Cassidy, quoting James Comey, “Mastering the Machine”, in The New Yorker[1], →ISSN:
- “I said, ‘Lordy, we have to put tops on bottoms. Let’s get something done,’ ” Comey recalled.
- Expressing strong emotion, such as amazement.
- 1863 March, “A horrible scrape”, in The Southern Literary Messenger, volume 37, page 172:
- Lordy! Call your dogs off, call your dogs off! Oh! Lordy! call em off quick! quick!
Usage notes
[edit]Often used in a combination like “Oh Lordy”, “Oh Lordy Lord” or even repeated “Oh Lordy, Lordy Lord”.
Synonyms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “Lordy”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “Lordy, exc.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “Lordy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “Lordy”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “Lordy” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.