I was reading a book and the phrase "by jingo!" was used. What does this mean and which year did people use to say it?
2006-10-16 06:36:41 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
Like most expletives and exclamations, it's root is in avoiding blasphemy. It's as if someone has started to say "By Jesus" and changed midway.
Hence "By George", "By Jove", "Gee", and "Jiminy Cricket" and "Jeepers creepers" for "Jesus Christ".
Similarly, "Golly", "Gosh", "Goodness" etc. are from "God".
It was used mainly by upper class males in pre-war England, and would raise a laugh today.
2006-10-16 06:50:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's appropriate, given the hall of mirrors quality (some would say "smoke and mirrors") of the news lately, that the term "jingo" should have begun life as a magician's incantation. The earliest written instances of "jingo" (around 1670) report it as a exclamation routinely used by conjurors who shouted "Hey jingo!" when making an object appear (as opposed to "Hey presto!" when they made something vanish). "Jingo" probably arose as a euphemism for "Jesus," much as "Gosh" and "Golly" started out as substitutes for "God." The expression "By jingo!" was very popular from the 17th through the 19th centuries.
The "superpatriot" sense of "jingo" does indeed date back to the British-Russian confrontation over Turkey in 1878. A popular music hall anthem of the day penned by G.W. Hunt declared: "We don't want to fight, yet by Jingo if we do, we've got the ships, we've got the men, and got the money too!" Those favoring a war with Russia (which was, fortunately, avoided) became known as "The Jingoes," and the term "jingo" has ever since been a synonym for a blustering, bellicose "patriot."
2006-10-16 09:27:00 · answer #2 · answered by quatt47 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By Jingo
2016-09-30 01:46:27 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By Jingo means; one who boasts of his patriotism and favours an aggressive foreign policy. The term by jingo was started by a RAF pilot whose name escapes me before the second world war.
2006-10-16 06:56:05 · answer #4 · answered by Le Baron 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All of the above. It would be said in situations for emphasis - as in "well if it's war they want, then by jingo they'll get it!" It's a bit old fashioned and out-of-date now, but you get the idea.
2006-10-19 07:57:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi It has two meanings,
The first is a nicer way of saying "By God", By Jingo"!
The other is Jingo = One who vociferously supports one's country, especially one who supports a belligerent foreign policy; a chauvinistic patriot.
Wow! anyone we know??????????? LOL
Paul
2006-10-16 06:58:44 · answer #6 · answered by PAUL H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Used for emphasis or to express surprise:
"By jingo, I'm leaving here in spite of the blizzard."
http://www.answers.com/topic/jingo
2006-10-16 06:41:22 · answer #7 · answered by dontknow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well.... one of the meansings(I have not heard this or used this for a long time) but it is used for emphasis or to express surprise. By jingo, he went to Paris this morning.
In my HONEST opinion, this is a word that is used in place(a substitute... or alteration) of the word JESUS...... by Jesus! It is somewhat like the word GOSH.... By gosh, he went away... what he wants to say is By God, he went away.
2006-10-16 08:04:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its origins date back as far as the 17th century as a euphemism for "by Jesus" . First commonly used in the 1870s
It's from the word jingoism.- a term describing chauvinistic patriotism, usually with a hawkish political stance. In practice, it refers to sections of the general public who advocate bullying other countries or using whatever means necessary to safeguard a country's national interests.
2006-10-16 06:55:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No matter what or come what may. The year was probably late 1800's.
2006-10-20 05:51:06 · answer #10 · answered by RidgeRunner 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋