[Ads-l] "omigod" ca1943 (OED 1961)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Intriguing interjection, Jeff. Here is an earlier instance with the
desired sense.

Date: April 5, 1923
Newspaper: Hudson Observer
Newspaper Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Article: Here and There with Leo J. Heatley
Quote Page 12, Column 6
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/jersey-observer-and-jersey-journal-omigo/178193367/

[Begin excerpt]
We had a hunch that the world was getting better, but omigod, when
only halfway through the morning papers we got the body blow that
convinced us that we're wrong
[End excerpt]

"Omigod" was used as a pseudonym / signature in July 1913, but this
does not match the desired sense.

Date: July 3, 1913
Newspaper: The Nome Daily Nugget
Newspaper Location: Nome, Alaska
Quote Page 3, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/image/889910914/?match=1&terms=omigod

"Omigod" was also used as a pseudonym / signature in September 1913,
but this does not match the desired sense.

Date: September 29, 1913
Newspaper: The Alaska Socialist
Newspaper Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Quote Page 2
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/image/925418335/?match=1&terms=omigod


Garson

On Sun, Aug 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM Jeff Prucher
<000000b93183dc86-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Chanticleer (fanzine), issue 1ed. Walt Liebscherp. 23 Hoopla! Let's throw the annual midwest conference and invite Schmarje andDegler!! ((Omigod, anything but that)).
> https://fanac.org/fanzines/Chanticleer/chanticleer_1_liebscher_1943_us.pdf
> The double parens indicate editorial commentary, so the writer of "omigod" is presumably Walt Liebscher.
> The issue is undated. I actually stumbled across this cite while I was trying to date the issue. Internal evidence suggests not earlier than November 1943 (there is a "news item" with a date of 11-4-43. Fanzine fandom seems to have solidified 1943 as the date (see, e.g. https://fancyclopedia.org/wiki/Chanticleer, https://fanac.org/fanzines/Chanticleer/, and the closer-in-time Fanzine Index from 12/1952, which gives it an estimated date of 1943, https://fanac.org/fanzines/References/pe_index.pdf).
> Jeff Prucher
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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