a manager once said about me ( I don't know if it was in a joking way or serious way) "god bless his heart" to one of my other co-workers, what does this mean?
2007-07-17 16:39:00 · 6 answers · asked by mike 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
are you in the southern US?
sometimes that's kindof a condescending thing to say about another person.. sugarcoated to sound nice but really saying you're not all that with it.
BUT, that may not be at all what your manager meant. I'd have to hear the context to be sure.
2007-07-17 16:43:02 · answer #1 · answered by PediC 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Perhaps I can demonstrate from a Southern point of view.
And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say "Bless her heart"... and go your own way.
And to those of you who are having trouble with this Southern stuff ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!
And for those who are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y’all need a sign to hang on y’all’s front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could." Bless your heart!
To sum it up...it can mean a lot of things...hard to just put one meaning on this phrase....but Southerners always know what is meant...do they say this anywhere else?
2007-07-17 23:55:21 · answer #2 · answered by dreamdress2 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say all of the above answers are correct, except for the phrase being southern (I heard it as a child in NY). It can be used in either a good or bad way, as suggested above. In my experience as a child, it was used in a way that someone felt sorry if your feelings had been hurt, or in general of someone who was upset (not angry) about something that had happened. Even the dog would get "God bless her heart" if she were left alone for an unusual length of time. I suspect that in this case they were making fun of you for being upset, or were trying to imply that you were being upset in a childish manner.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/
2007-07-18 00:02:59 · answer #3 · answered by JimPettis 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to live in the South. You can say the meanest, nastiest things in the world about someone, but if you tack on "bless his heart," it's okay!
"What an ugly baby! Bless his heart!"
"That is the dumbest man alive! Bless his heat!"
2007-07-17 23:53:35 · answer #4 · answered by atheist 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is an old fashioned way of acknowledging someone's good nature. It comes from the time when people believed your finer and more noble feelings came from your heart.
2007-07-17 23:44:16 · answer #5 · answered by Sandy G 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yor mangaer was asking God to bless you and your life.
2007-07-17 23:44:56 · answer #6 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋