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Great Scott! is an interjection of surprise, amazement, or dismay. As a distinctive but inoffensive exclamation, popular in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, and now considered dated. It presumably originates as a minced oath, but has also been associated with specific "Scotts", notably US general Winfield Scott and Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. == Origins == It is frequently assumed that ''Great Scott!'' is a minced oath of some sort, ''Scott'' replacing ''God''. The 2010 edition of the ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' labels the expression as "dated" and simply identifies it as an "arbitrary euphemism for ''Great God!''". Alternatively, it has been suggested that it may be a corruption of the German greeting ''Grüss Gott''.〔The suggestion dates to at least the 1950s. "Great Scott (Punch Alm. 1930, S. 43), in Bayern USA-seitig 1954 f. identifiziert mit Grüß Gott, ist literarisch selten." ''Wiener Beiträge zur englischen Philologie'' 64-65 (1956), p. 204. In keeping with the Victorian-era origin of the phrase, it is sometimes anecdotally associated with Albert, Prince Consort. By contrast, etymologist and author John Ciardi in '' A Browser's Dictionary, A Common Reader Edition by The Akadine Press'' (1980) suggested a borrowing from the greetings exchanged by German immigrants to the United States, their cordiality contributing to the exclamatiory sense of the American adaptation, but Ciardi apparently withdrew this suggestion in a radio broadcast of 1985. Michael Quinion (''Port Out, Starboard Home'', 2005) references the suggestion disapprovingly, while admitting "it is clear that ''Great Scott!'' does indeed contain an euphemism for God, and so belongs in the same set as interjections like ''Great jumpin' Jehoshapat!'' and ''Great Caesar!''" 〕 The earliest known record of the expression is found in ''The Eclectic Medical Journal'', December 1856: :''He tells you the aquatic, or cold blooded condition, is valuable as an antiphlogistic agent, and that it soothes and tranquilizes the lungs. ‘Great Scott!’ Mystery upon mystery, and marvel upon marvel!''〔(Who First Said, "Great Scott!"? And Who Is Scott? ), Freakonomics, 09/08/2011〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Great Scott」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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