phrase General Slang

jings, crivens, help ma boab

· phrase · scottish

Classic Scots exclamation of surprise — the Oor Wullie trifecta.

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Definitions

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A full-throated cry of shock, used when something properly takes you by surprise. Three old minced oaths in one — the comic-strip Scots version of 'oh my god, what the hell, help'. Forever associated with Oor Wullie sitting on his upturned bucket.

“Jings, crivens, help ma boab — have ye seen the price o' a pint these days?”
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jings, crivens, help ma boab In A Sentence

Jings, crivens, help ma boab — have ye seen the price o' a pint these days?

Origin & Usage

Catchphrase of Oor Wullie, the DC Thomson comic-strip character running in The Sunday Post since 1936. Three minced oaths stacked: 'jings' = by jingo, 'crivens' = a corruption of 'Christ fend us' (attested from 1891), 'help ma Boab' = help my God (Boab being a softening of God/Bob).

Variants jings crivvens help ma boabjings, crivvens an' help ma boab
Tags #scottish#scots#exclamation#oor-wullie#phrase

People Also Ask

Where does it come from?

Oor Wullie, the Sunday Post comic strip that's been running since 1936. The three exclamations existed separately in older Scots but Wullie cemented them as a unit.

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