Angie Boyter
asked:
This book is beautifully written, but some of it is cryptic to the point of driving me distracted! Many of the characters swear, " 'I god". What does the " 'I " stand for? It can't be "By god", because that would be a "Y". I cannot decipher it.
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Lonesome Dove,
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Julie Bozza
I read it as either a "My God" or a "By God", with the first letter elided. I think it's spelled with an "I" instead of a "Y" to indicate the sound made. When I was trying it out myself, starting with an "I" sound kind of lifted me into an astonished expression, with an indrawn breath, which seems to suit the purpose...
OK, obviously I've been thinking about this far too much! :-)
OK, obviously I've been thinking about this far too much! :-)
Andy
Googling around seems to indicate that it's a version of Egad - which came from "Ye God!"
Brian
If you ever watch the mini-series, it sounds a lot like Gus is saying "by god."
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