blimey

Everyday

1. (UK, informal) a cry of surprise, shock or amazement, like «wow!» or «goodness!». tree →
2. (euphemism, origin) a softened form of the old oath «God blind me». tree →

In the lessons

Very common in British speech, old-fashioned but friendly; heard in films, comics and from grandparents; mild, not rude; a way to swear without swearing. UK, Ireland, Australia.

Examples

• Blimey, look at the size of that dog! tree →
• Blimey, is that the time already? tree →
• «It costs how much? Blimey!» tree →
• Cor blimey, it's freezing out there. tree →
• Blimey, Charlie, you've grown! tree →
• The answer was 1,000? Blimey, I wrote 100. tree →
• Blimey O'Reilly, what a mess! tree →

Note

Mild and safe in most places, even with children. Nobody hears the old «God blind me» in it any more. It sounds very British; in the USA it sounds like an English film character.