for the love of Mike/Pete/God

for the love of God

An oath of shock, exasperation, annoyance, frustration, or anger. For the love of God, I didn't even see that car coming! Would you let me finish my story, for the love of God? Oh for the love of God, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it!

See also: for, god, love, of

for the love of Mike

A mild oath of shock, exasperation, annoyance, frustration, or anger, with "Mike" being a euphemistic substitution for "God." For the love of Mike, I didn't even see that car coming! Would you let me finish my story, for the love of Mike? Oh for the love of Mike, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it!

See also: for, love, mike, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

for the love of Mike/Pete/God

An expression of exasperation, surprise, or the like. Pete and Mike both are euphemisms for God, which is considered blasphemous by some. They date from the early 1900s. See also for heaven's/Pete's/pity's sake. James Joyce used one in Ulysses (1922), “For the love of Mike, listen to him.”

See also: for, god, love, mike, of, Pete

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer