By gingo!

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 12:25:30 -0700, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>The etymology of "by jingo!" being obscure, this example with an initial
"g" may be of interest, particularly as it comes only a few years after
OED's primary citation.
>
>1701 William Burnaby _Ladies Visiting-day_ (London: Peter Buck)  By Gingo
>she'll ravish him, good Woman.

Literature Online has:

1700 Mary Pix _The Beau Defeated_ (London), p. 27
'Tis a delicate Age, by Gingo, when the Rake is the fine Gentleman,
and the fine Gentleman is the Lady's Favourite, egad. Mum, she comes.


There's also an earlier "Gingo" without the "by":

1663 Abraham Cowley _Cutter of Coleman Street_ (London), p. 26
Hey, Boys-- Gingo.



--Ben Zimmer