An archaic Irish English exclamation expressing surprise or emphasis, a euphemistic oath.
From Irish English, likely from 'by God' with sound changes and Irish influence. The initial 'be-' may derive from 'by,' and the rest from 'God' with phonetic alterations to avoid direct blasphemy.
Words like 'begorah,' 'begorra,' and 'begorrah' show how Irish English speakers created a whole family of creative oaths—by disguising 'God' phonetically, they could express surprise emphatically while technically avoiding blasphemy.
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