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by God

  1. my word, oh my God
L1422142 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

adj

Etymology: Ellipsis of a full oath of the form "I swear by God that …".

  1. Genuine, actual.

    I’ll tell you one thing he was if he wasn’t no soldier. He was a by god White Cap.

    Fleeson was known as “God’s angry woman,” and she called herself a “by God practicing liberal.”

adv

Etymology: Ellipsis of a full oath of the form "I swear by God that …".

  1. Used as an oath to emphasize the veracity of an associated statement.

    I should not wonder if you had your orders to-morrow; but you cannot sail with this wind, if you are to cruize to the westward; Captain Walsh thinks you will certainly have a cruize to the westward, with the Elephant. By G⁠—, I wish you may.

    With a frown, Rye studies my face. He disengages my arm in order to take my hand in both of his and squeeze it tight. "Why don't you go back and confront him, sweetheart? I'll go with you, by God. I don't like the idea of him bullying you, and he needs to hear that."

  2. Used as an intensifier.

    I saw that map and I said right then, 'Someday I'm going to make a map of how it was that day, make a drawing of Pearl Harbor, and I'll make it right.' And I did, by God.

intj

Etymology: Ellipsis of a full oath of the form "I swear by God that …".

  1. An exclamation of surprise.

    By God! That chicken has no head!

    […] having made a cross cut, so as to ascertain the depth of the fat upon the chest, exclaimed, in a sort of rapture, “Three inches of white fat on the brisket!—prime—prime, as I am a crowded sinner—and de’il ane o’ the lazy loons in but mysell! Seven—aught—aught tines on the antlers. By G⁠—⁠d, a hart of aught tines, and the first of the season![…]”