for heaven's sake

alternative for Heaven's sake

1. euphemisticidiomaticExpresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance, or the urgency of an instruction.

   Don't ever use the hood on your anorak; and, if you do, for heaven's sake don't pull the string tight so that you peep out like a little baby in a siren suit.

   1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 61

   1 more example

   Labour frontbencher Louise Haigh (Shadow Transport Secretary for heaven's sake!) initially lambasted TOCs before the handful of specialist rail commentators fell on her tweets and she changed her tune, refocusing her fire on Government.

   2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3

   Synonyms: FFS, for Christ's sake, for cripes' sake, for crying in the beer, for crying out loud, for fucking out loud, for fuck's sake, for God's sake

2. euphemisticidiomaticExpresses surprise, sometimes pleasant.

   Well, for heaven's sake! Look who's here! Good to see you again!

   1 more example

   Numerous kindly souls delightedly phoned me, “You’ll never guess what I’ve got for the first time in my life—evening grosbeaks.” And the best I could answer was, “For heaven’s sake, hang on to them!”

   1949 November 18, Of Thee I Sing [pseudonym], “Birds I Know”, in The Boston Daily Globe, volume CLVI, number 141, Boston, Mass.: Globe Newspaper Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 36, column 4

1. Alternative letter-case form of for heaven's sake.

   “Don’t be absurd, Steve! And for Heaven’s sake don’t look so lackadaisical and lasslorn.”

   1897, Amelia E. Barr, chapter 14, in The King’s Highway, New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., page 324

   3 more examples

   But the Mancunians are of all men the most disposed to peace. Their name has become a bye-word because they are said to require peace at any price. If the Mancunians are satisfied, for Heaven's sake do not let us put it into their heads that they could gain anything by change.

   1859, [Arthur Helps], “War”, in Friends in Council: A Series of Readings and Discourse thereon (New Series), 2nd edition, volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker & Son, West Strand, →OCLC, page 137

   “I think she might have been mistrustful, mum,” answered Sloppy, hesitating. / “Of what, for Heaven’s sake?”

   1864 May – 1865 November, Charles Dickens, “In Which the Orphan Makes His Will”, in Our Mutual Friend. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1865, →OCLC, 2nd book (Birds of a Feather), page 247

   "The position you'd put me in would be this—of playing a game—and a jolly important game at that—in which the loser loses to me on purpose. . . . If we're going to play a game," he continued, addressing Davenant, before the latter had time to speak, "for Heaven's sake let us play it straight—like men. Let the winner win and the loser lose—"

   1911, Basil King, chapter 16, in The Street Called Straight