or blanked, blankety, Euphemistic oaths; clearly an outcome of the practice of representing an oath, for decency’s sake in printing, by a dash, or blank space; e.g., d——d.
1857. DICKENS, ‘Farce for the Championship,’ in All the Year Round. Enter a closely shaven, bullet-headed fellow in an ecstasy of excitement at having just seen Cuss, and at the exquisite ‘fitness’ of that worthy. ‘So help me BLANK, BLANK!’ he cries delightedly, ‘if he ain’t a BLANK picter with the weins in his face down ’ere and ’ere, a showin’ out just as if a BLANK hartist ’ad painted him. Tell yer, he’s beautiful, fine as a BLANK greyhound, with a BLANK heavy air with him that looks BLANK like winnin’. Take yer two quid to one, guv’nor,’ adds the speaker, suddenly picking out a stout purple-faced farmer in the group of eager listeners.
1873. C. READE, Simpleton, xxiii. BLANK him! that is just like him; the uneasy fool!
1878. MRS. EDWARDES, Jet, iii., 272. ‘—the Colonel of the regiment!’ exclaims Mark … ‘BLANK the Colonel of the regiment!’ With slow, unmistakable gusto she lingers over the monosyllable ‘BLANK.’
1879. BRET HARTE, Gabriel Conroy, in Hallberger’s Illustrated Magazine, vol. I., 378. Because you’re religious, BLANK you, do you expect me to starve? Go and order supper first! Stop! Where in BLANK are you going? Here you’ve been and gone three hours on an errand for me, and blame me if you ain’t runnin’ off without a word about it.
1888. Troy Daily Times, Feb. 3. The captain looked anxious, and an irate fellow-passenger, who had not ceased swearing since we left Tuxpan, declared by all that is sacred and profane, that he had known vessels to be hindered thirty days; yes, even three months, by that BLANKETY BLANKETY bar!
1888. Owosso (Mich.) Press, April. ‘Doktor, I’m a dead man!’ ‘Not right now?’ said I, as I kicked his dog out. ‘Just as good as dead,’ said he, ‘or you wouldn’t kick that dog in that way with safety. Not by a BLANKETY, BLANK, BLANK sight.’ ‘Needn’t waste so much profanity, Mr. Starkhill,’ said I.
1892. T. A. GUTHRIE (‘F. Anstey’), Voces Populi, ‘In the Mall on Drawing-Room Day,’ 84. All I was goin’ to see was a set o’ BLANKY nobs shut up in their BLANK-DASH kerridges, BLANK my BLANKY eyes if I’d ha’ stirred a BLANKY foot s’elp me Dash, I wouldn’t!.
