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“minced oath”
oath, minced oath
oath (OHTH) (noun)
1. A commitment to tell the truth; especially, in a court of law: To lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury.
2. A solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future acts or behavior: Jason took an oath of allegiance to his country.
3. A profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger: Aurora was heard screaming an oath of "damn it!" after she hit her finger with the hammer.
2. A solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future acts or behavior: Jason took an oath of allegiance to his country.
3. A profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger: Aurora was heard screaming an oath of "damn it!" after she hit her finger with the hammer.
minced oath (MINST ohth") (noun)
1. A type of euphemism based on a profanity that has been altered to reduce or to remove the disagreeable or objectionable characteristics of the original expression: One example of a minced oath is to use "heck" for "hell".
2. The use of a word or phrase to replace another one which is considered less offensive or less vulgar than the word or phrase it replaces: Another example of a minced oath is to say "dang it" or "darn it" instead of "damn it".
2. The use of a word or phrase to replace another one which is considered less offensive or less vulgar than the word or phrase it replaces: Another example of a minced oath is to say "dang it" or "darn it" instead of "damn it".
From time to time when Scott gets upset, he has been known to mutter an oath; however, depending on the person he is going to talk to, he tries to be careful and to use a minced oath now and then, if he feels the need to express his feelings in stronger ways.
This entry is located in the following unit:
Confusing Words Clarified: Group O; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +
(page 1)