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Many of these jurons were borrowed from Britanny 

 others, from Provence, Languedoc, Normandy. 



The juron, " par le sang du Christ, " was abridged 

 to Sacristi, to evade the punishment which the law 

 had in store for impious persons ; the french writer 

 previously quoted knew a very pious woman, who 

 when astonished or startled, exclaimed " Sapristi, " 

 adding, however, as a correctif, " Sapristi la Rose " 

 associating with it that emblem of innocence and purety. 



Similar scrupules converted " Par le sang de Dieu " 

 into " Par la samhleu " Palsambleu and other varia- 

 tions " Ventredieu " originally meant " Par le ventre 

 de Dieu, " from which sprang " Ventrebleu. " 



" Ventre-saint-gris," must be an alteration of ventre 

 saint du Christ. 



" Par le corps de Dieu " gave " Cordieu " and 

 " Corbleu " ; everywhere, subterfuges to escape penal 

 enactments ! 



" Tu dieu " is supposed to be a weak echo of " Par 

 le ventre de Dieu" abridged first in " ventredieu " and 

 " ventrebleu ". 



*' Le sacre'nom de Dieu" says Mr. Laredon Larchey, 

 furnished many expletives ; amongst others, " Sacre' 

 nom, " " Cre nom " and " JS T om de Dieu, " " Nom 

 oVun nom, nom d'une pipe, " nom d'un petit bon- 

 homme," was an irreverent allusion to Jesus as an 

 infant. " Nom d'un petit bonhomme de bois " alluded 

 to popular sculptures representing our Saviour, borne by 

 his mother, hewn out of wood. From " Par le sacre 1 

 mom de Dieu," proceed the abbreviations " Sacredieu," 

 " Credieu," " Sacrebleu, " " Crebleu, " " Saperbleu". 

 T'is difficult to find the origin of " Sabre de bois ". Mr. 

 Laredon Larchey has for it a far-fetched explanation. 

 Canadian ears are tickled with the following bequeathed 

 by their Gallic forefathers. Parbleu ? Sacrebleu ! 

 Sacrelotte ! Saperlotte and even Saperlipopette, in- 

 dulged in by Euphueists. One mild form of juron, 



