the dickens
Polite devil substitute
The dickens is a mild oath used as a euphemism for "the devil," appearing in expressions of surprise or emphasis: What the dickens is going on here?
It scared the dickens out of me.
The phrase dates to Shakespeare's era and has nothing to do with the novelist Charles Dickens—it predates him by centuries.
exclamation
Unexpected event causing astonishment
- bewildermentState of being baffled
- euphemismMild substitute for bluntness
- expletiveProfane emotional utterance
- interjectionEmotional outcry word class
astonishment · consternation · exasperation · Shakespearean · archaic · Victorian · mild oath · devil
surprise
Unexpected event causing astonishment
- bewildermentState of being baffled
- euphemismMild substitute for bluntness
- expletiveProfane emotional utterance
interjection · astonishment · consternation · exasperation · Shakespearean · archaic · Victorian · mild oath · devil · deuce