Who is Pete in the saying"for Pete's sake"?

Question

I hear this saying a lot of times.I really want to know who this Pete is.

Answer 1

Wow, great answer by Summerdaze.

I was going to say Pete Rose.

Answer 2

Biblical origins. Think of St Peter. Think of the omnipresent medieval church and think of hitting your thumb with a hammer. You can't swear, else the local priests will have you up before the Bishop and the Lord alone knows what the outcome of that will be, so you exclaim, in appropriate tone of voice, "For Saint Peter's sake" and carry on erecting the shelves. This phrase was amended to "For Pete's Sake" in later, less religiously oppressive, times.

Another version of the exclamation is for the love of Pete, which seems to be slightly older (it’s recorded in print from 1918). In turn that reminds us of for the love of Mike, which is older still, from the 1880s. This last expression seems to have been a euphemistic cry to replace for the love of God, which is known from the early eighteenth century as an irritated exclamation. Another well-known exclamation, for pity’s sake, seems likely to have been an influence on the choice of Pete.
As a result, at some point around 1918, Pete joined Mike as the person to invoke when you were impatient, annoyed, frustrated or disappointed in someone or something, both men being stand-ins for the God that it would be blasphemous to mention.

Answer 3

Pete was the nickname for a Japanese fellow who reportedly made the best rice wine evern known to all of mankind.

It was so good, people often invoked it as a final offering when trying to get someone to do something their way.

"Okay, will you do it for Pete's Sake?"

Eventually it became Americanized, and stopped making any sense at all.

Answer 4

I was gonna say St.Peter...or my cousin Pete....

Answer 5

well i was gonna say saint peter. but seeing as how summerbreezejust wrote the thirs testement of the bible i think his explaination is better

Answer 6

summer breeze seems to have done a lot of research on this.real good.thanx caus i really wanted to no too.