Whiteisms
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Etymology Journal ยท L

Lord have mercy

Meaning

A versatile exclamation of surprise, frustration, or disbelief. It is used to express genuine shock or to add emphasis to an emotional reaction.

Dramatic, soulful

Used in a sentence

  • Lord have mercy, that is a big spider.
  • She saw the mess in the kitchen and sighed, Lord have mercy.
  • Lord have mercy, I forgot the keys in the car again.

The backstory

This is rooted in traditional religious prayer language. Over time, it transitioned from a formal request for divine grace into a common secular expression of exasperation.

Heard in

The South

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