A mild oath or exclamation used historically in English, similar to saying 'gosh' or 'darn'.
A euphemistic corruption of 'God's' (as in 'God's wounds' or 'God's body'), common in Early Modern English. Part of a tradition of minced oaths where speakers avoided saying religious words directly.
People used to swear by literally invoking God's body parts—'God's wounds!' 'God's body!'—but found it blasphemous, so they invented silly substitutes like 'dods,' 'zounds,' and 'odsbodkins' to get the same emotional punch without the sin.
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