I've always been enthralled with linguistics, particularly etymology (the study of word origins). One aspect I've found fascinating is "minced oaths", the words used as substitutes for "curse" or "swear" words in polite company. (Minced oaths use seemingly unrelated words, rather than substituting curse words with clinical or less offensive words that share the same meaning.) Interestingly, minced oaths themselves can become so associated with the original that they themselves become taboo over time...and the word "curse" even gets substituted by some with "cuss". Here are all the most commonly encountered in English (primarily American, with several British examples). Got any more? Send 'em my way (allen@lutins.net)!
bitch - biatch
bloody - blooming {primarily British}
bullshit - balderdash, baloney, B.S.
by God - begorrah, by George, by golly, by gum, by Joe, by Jove
by Jesus - bejabbers, bejeezes
Christ - Christmas, Christopher Columbus, crap, crikey, criminey, cripes, crud
damn - dang, darn, drat(s)
damnation - tarnation
devil - dickens
dicking around - dorking around
for Christ's sake - for crying out loud, for Pete's sake
for God's sake - for goodness sake
fuck - fark, feck, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, foo, fooey, fra(c)k, frig, fudge, fug
fucking - f'ing (effing), fecking, flaming, flipping, freaking, frickin', frigging, cotton-picking
(oh) God - egad, George, golly, golly gee, goodness, gosh, gracious
God blind me - cor blimey (used in England)
God damn (it) - confound it, consarnit, dadblame, dadblast, dadburn, dadgummit, dagnabbit, doggone, goldamn, goldang, goldarn
God rot (it) - drat
God's hooks / God's wounds (referring to the nails in Jesus' cross) - gadzooks / zounds
good (great) God - good(ness) gracious, good gravy, good grief, goodness sakes alive, great Caesar's ghost, great googly moogly, great Scott
hell - heck, hey, "H-E-double hockey sticks", "H-E-double toothpicks", Sam Hill
Holy God/Jesus - holy cow, holy smokes
Holy Mother (Mary) or Holy Moses - holy mackeral, holy moley
horse shit - horse feathers, horse hockey, horse pucky {puckey}
Jesus - cheese, gee, gee whiz, gee whillikers, jeebus, jeepers, jeez, Jehosaphat, sheesh, sheez
Jesus Christ - cheese & crackers, cheese & rice, jeepers creepers, geez Louise, Jiminy Cricket, Judas Priest, Jumping Jehosephat
(for the) Lord's sake - land's sake
(Oh) my God - my goodness, my gracious, my word, Oh my
pissed off - ticked off
shit - shinola, shizzle, shoot, shucks, sugar
shut the fuck up - shut the front door
son of a bitch - s.o.b., son of a biscuit
son of God - son of a gun
suffering saviour - suffering succotash