in God's/Heaven's name

in God's name

A phrase of exasperation used to emphasize a question or statement. What in God's name are you doing in here? The car needs a new engine, but where in God's name are we going to get the money for it? How in God's name did such a blatant error slip past our copy-editors?

See also: name

in heaven's name

A phrase of exasperation used to emphasize a question. What in heaven's name are you doing in here? The car needs a new engine, but where in heaven's name are we going to get the money for it? How in heaven's name did such a blatant error slip past our copy-editors?

See also: name

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

in ˈGod’s/ˈHeaven’s name

,

in the name of ˈGod/ˈHeaven

used especially in questions to show that you are angry, surprised or shocked: What in God’s name was that noise? ♢ Where in the name of Heaven have you been?

See also: name

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017