Jumpin' Jehoshaphat – Where Did the Saying Come From?

The mysterious swear words of the English language couldn't be stranger.

It's not so strange. According to the Bible (NKJV), 22:41, "Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel."

According to Wikipedia, Jehoshaphat was 35 when he took the throne and was in power for 25 years.

But what was the origin of Jumpin' Jehoshaphat?

If my memory serves me right, we used to say Jumpin' Jehoshaphat as children. We, of course, were not allowed to swear. If caught, we would get our mouths washed out with soap. Blech!

The typical response about this phrase's origin is a mixture of "I don't know" or conjecture. In one explanation from The Checker Maven, we read this possibility:

"Yosemite Sam, the arch-enemy of Bugs Bunny, is famously known to exclaim, "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" but it's not likely that the said toon character was aware of the origins of this expression.

“Indeed, there isn't a lot known about the phrase, except that it first appeared in print in 1866 and is thought to be part of the 19th century predilection for "minced oaths" which embodied a strong expression of feeling without actually using potentially offensive words. Other efforts to relate the expression to the biblical Jehoshaphat seem to us to be somewhat forced."

Another choice could be what is mentioned in Reddit by @G3NOM3:

"The source I found (Wikipedia, so I'm not going to link it - you can look it up yourself) claims that the first print occurance of the phrase "Jumping Jehoshaphat" is in the book "The Headless Horseman" by Mayne Reid, first published in 1865 or 1866."

Funny alternatives to Jumpin' Jehoshaphat

Obviously, not everyone uses alliterative euphemisms – phrases to replace profane swearing or cussing. Following are some of the more interesting I've seen:

·       Jeepers!

·       Jiminy Cricket!

·       Jeepers Creepers!

·       Jeesum Crow!

Some of the more humorous ones that I've heard or come across in my reading are Dagnabbit!, Poo on a stick!, Cheese and crackers!, Fart knocker!, or even Sufferin' succotash. The Tennessean, an online daily newspaper, lists 50 of these "swear words."

No matter where you are in America or the world, people have their own way of swearing or cursing. A lot of it depends on what your parents or grandparents say. 😉

Let me know if you have any favorites you would like to share.