sake

for old times' sake

if you do something for old times' sake, you do it in order to remember a happy time in the past. Do you want to have lunch together sometime, just for old times' sake?

See also: old

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for Christ's sake

I am surprised or annoyed by this. For Christ's sake, Julie, what are you doing here? This dress makes me look like a little old lady, for Christ's sake. It's two in the morning, for Christ sakes! Why are you calling me now?

Usage notes: used for emphasis

for crying out loud

for goodness' sake

for Pete's sake

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of for Christ's sake (= in the name of or for Christ)

for God's sake

I am surprised or annoyed by this. For God's sake, Eleanor, what happened to your hair? It's time we started worrying about educating our children, for God's sake. At three-thirty in the morning, for God's sake, my dog decided to have her puppies.

Usage notes: used for emphasis

for crying out loud

for goodness' sake

for Pete's sake

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of for God's sake (= in the name of or for God)

for goodness sakeSee at: for goodness' sake

See also: goodness

for goodness' sake

I am surprised or annoyed by this. For goodness' sake, Harry, what are you doing at this time of night? Well, for goodness sakes, why didn't you tell me that earlier so I could have changed my plans?

Usage notes: used for emphasis and often used instead of the more offensive idioms for God's sake and for Christ's sake

for crying out loud

for old times' sake

as a way of remembering something pleasant from the past. I thought we'd take the train, just for old times' sake.

See also: old

for something's own sake

because something is worth doing. Arnold is dedicated to writing for its own sake, and doesn't worry about whether he can sell what he writes.

for Pete's sake

I am annoyed or surprised by this. She has a huge salary and gets a bonus, too — how much money does she need, for Pete's sake?

Usage notes: used for emphasis and often used instead of the more offensive idioms for God's sake and for Christ's sake

for crying out loud

for the sake of argument

in order to consider the possibility. Assume, for the sake of argument, that what she says is true.