What about the expression: “For yelling out loud”? Have you ever thought about that? I mean, what the hell does that expression mean anyway? Where did it originate from?

Phrases like “Hot dog!” or “Man alive!” It makes sense to me. Hot dog implies that you are excited about something, just as excited as you would be if someone gave you a free hot dog. “Living man” means that you are surprised by something; It was probably coined by mountain climbers when they found half-dead men in the snow. Imagine running through a boot sticking out of the snow, and when you pull on it, a semi-conscious Sherpa joins the other end. You’d yell “Man alive!” too, and you would have every right to do so.

My dad was a big proponent of the expression “for crying out loud.” He yelled at me when he did things like draw crayons on the wall or put the cat in the dryer. Every time he listened to it, he would navigate in the cannonball position and try to roll into a tight corner where he couldn’t reach me. One day, as I was getting into a hamper, I thought, “This expression of screaming out loud doesn’t make sense to me. The English language certainly has its share of weird expressions and illogical grammatical points, but expressions like this are just plain unwise. Frankly , make me a little uneasy and I refuse to use any expression that does not have at least a semilogical origin”. (Yes, I used to talk like that when I was 8 years old). I had reached the bottom of the basket when my dad’s footsteps approached. “For shouting out loud Marcus, where the hell are you!?” It was then and there that I made a decision. With a sock pressed to my cheek I declared, “I’ll get to the bottom of this irresponsible expression, for better or worse!”

So today, 25 years later, I’m happy to report that I’ve dug up the origin of the euphemism “for crying out loud”… a little bit. The expression is part of a long list of sayings that find their origin in Christian culture. They’re called “chopped oaths” and they allow you to vent your frustration without saying anything sinful.

For example, if you were a peasant in the Middle Ages and someone stole your sandal, you wouldn’t want to yell an expression like, “When I find you, I’ll stick that sandal up your…!” Instead, you’d say something like: “For the love of God!” which calls attention to the right hand of Jesus, Saint Peter. You could still express your anger, but you would pass it on to god without him knowing what happened. And who knows, maybe San Pedro can help you get your sandal back.

Expressions like “Caramba” even have a Christian basis. The “G” sound represents the “G” sound in Jesus Christ, and is also responsible for the famous hip hop saying, “G-Unit,” which mobsters use as an underground code word when referring to their personal lord and savior.

“For crying out loud” is said to have its origin in the expression “for Christ’s sake.” How you go from “for Christ’s sake” to “for crying out loud” I don’t know, but I’ll bet it has something to do with a parent who was upset with their child’s incessant crying. He was probably an influential man, and when he was about to say, “For Christ’s sake,” he instead said, “For yelling out loud!” His eyebrow probably went up right after he said it; the kind of “ah-ha” brow we’re all looking for. And with that, the expression was coined.

Euphemisms play a big part in our culture, and I take my hat off to my dad for having the nerve to carry on the tradition. The next time you hear an expression whose meaning refers to you, think of our early Christian ancestors and thank them for their contribution. I mean cry out loud, at least they provided us with some fantastic comedy.