727: Supernatural Swearing (C.W.2) Dec 4, 2016

The next category of cursing which Pinker identifies is Supernatural Swearing. This accounts for all the 'oh my G*d' and 'damn' curses that people still use regularly, even in increasingly secular societies. These words have lost gravity for that very reason, and are used in much more of a carefree manner than they were in Victorian England. GadZooks (G*d's hooks) refers to Jesus' nails because people were afraid to use God's name in vain. Similarly, 'zounds' is a euphemism for 'God's wounds', which is particularly appropriate.