Hand to God

[Dan Goncharoff]

It is an image of swearing to God. Perhaps it was a way of saying "swear to
God" without using the word "swear"?

DanG

On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 10:52 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Hand to God
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> >On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 9:41 AM, paul johnson <paulzjoh at mtnhome.com>
> wrote:
> >
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> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       paul johnson <paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM>
> >>  Subject:      Re: Hand to God
> >>
> >>
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>  paul johnson
> >>
> >>  Since at least the mid fifties I've heard and used "Right hand to God"
> >>  used in Chicago, haven't heard it much in the last 20 years, but now I
> >>  live in Arkansas.
>
> Influenced by "(sitting on) the right hand of God"?

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