Lawd Chiefly U.S.
(lɔːd)
Also Lawdy. Cf. law int.
Local (esp. Black English) variants of Lord, Lordy, usually as interjections or in humorous contexts.
| 1881 J. C. Harris Nights with Uncle Remus (1884) xxxix. 183 Lawdy mussy, Brer Rabbit! Whar my vittles? 1898 ‘J. Kerr’ Cheery Bk. 121 But, Lawdy! How dat coon can kiss! 1901 G. B. Shaw Captain Brassbound's Conversion i. 226 Drinkwater. Lawd,..wot jagginses them jurymen was! Ibid. ii. 242 Git the plice ready for the British herristorcracy, Lawd Ellan and Lidy Wineflete? 1926 W. C. Handy Blues 64 Feel so low down an' sad Lawd Lost ev'rything I ever had. Ibid. 91 Why did I go away? I used to be so gay There'll come a day! Oh Lawdy Lawd how happy I'll be Down home in Florida. 1928 R. Bradford in B. A. Botkin Treas. S. Folklore (1949) iii. ii. 485 So about dat time de Lawd comed up on old man Noah. 1945 Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. I. 664 Euphemisms... For Lord: land, law, lawks, lawdy, lawsy. 1970 R. D. Abrahams Positively Black vi. 142 Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawd, I used to be your reg'lar, now I got to be your dog. 1971 Black Scholar Sept. 44/2 ‘Lawd!’ he blurts out and begins to giggle. 1973 Black World Sept. 29 Hughes sometimes created short, vignette-type poems with the blues feeling..as he did in ‘Bad Morning’: Here I sit with my shoes mismated. Lawdy-mercy! I's frustrated! |