[ti:Great Scott] [ar:Warren Scheer] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES ] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Now, the VOA Special English program [00:16.33]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:18.93]Every language has its ways [00:22.97]of expressing strong emotions [00:25.91]-- surprise, shock, anger. [00:30.29]The expressions range [00:32.08]from mild to strong, [00:34.29] from exclamations and oaths, [00:36.85]to curses and swear words. [00:39.65]The ones that are accepted [00:42.20]in public speech change [00:44.61]through the years [00:46.23]as social rules change. [00:48.91]At times, [00:50.72]only very mild expressions [00:53.21]are socially accepted. [00:55.40]Some of the most popular [00:58.16]expressions are those [01:00.46]that are guaranteed [01:02.16]not to offend anyone. [01:04.07]Most of these exclamations [01:07.18]have survived from earlier days. [01:10.66]And their original meanings [01:13.46]are long since forgotten. [01:16.47]Great Scott! is a good example. [01:19.76]It expresses surprise or shock. [01:23.79]You might say to someone, [01:26.23]"Great Scott! I did not [01:29.28]know she was married!" [01:31.12]Language expert Webb Garrison [01:34.91]tells an interesting story [01:37.50]about the expression. [01:39.26]Just before the Civil War, [01:43.09]the Whig political party [01:45.59]was making a last effort [01:48.48]to remain a part of [01:49.89]American political life. [01:52.14]For the election of [01:54.64]eighteen fifty-two, [01:56.27]the Whigs wanted to [01:58.62]offer a colorful candidate [02:00.86]for president. [02:01.92]They thought that [02:03.86]Winfield Scott would be [02:06.17]the right candidate. [02:07.86]In his thirty years [02:10.23]as a general, Winfield Scott [02:12.77]had become one of [02:14.66]the best-known military leaders [02:17.52]in the country. [02:18.47]During the war with Mexico, [02:21.81]he had captured Vera Cruz [02:24.39]and occupied Mexico City. [02:27.99]So, party leaders thought [02:31.22]that if any Whig could [02:33.58]be elected president, [02:35.14]it was Winfield Scott. [02:37.48]General Scott quickly [02:40.47]accepted the nomination [02:42.17]and began campaigning. [02:44.36]It did not take long [02:46.72]for the public to realize [02:48.63]that General Scott really [02:51.19]liked General Scott! [02:53.43]His speeches were full [02:55.92]of praise for himself. [02:58.56]It was evident that [03:00.75]he thought he [03:01.92]was the greatest candidate [03:03.61]who had ever lived. [03:04.95]Soon his political opponents [03:08.19]began to make fun of him. [03:10.77]They called him, Great Scott. [03:14.37]General Scott did not [03:16.82]come close to [03:18.13]winning the presidency. [03:19.54]But his name still lives as [03:22.31]part of the English language. [03:24.47]Other popular exclamations [03:27.56]combine holy with other words. [03:30.67]Holy Mackerel! is one that [03:33.18]expresses surprise or wonder. [03:35.53]It comes from earlier days [03:38.34]when the Roman Catholic Church [03:41.48]ruled that Catholics must [03:44.43]not eat meat on Fridays. [03:46.91]Since mackerel was a common [03:49.95]and cheap fish in the United States, [03:53.61]it was often eaten [03:55.41]for dinner on Friday. [03:57.31]Then there is Holy Toledo! [04:00.84]It is another expression of surprise. [04:04.57]It refers to the city [04:07.24]of Toledo, Spain, [04:09.21]an important religious center [04:11.83]in medieval times. [04:13.69]Toledo was a holy city [04:16.53]for both the Roman Catholics [04:18.92]and the Muslim Moors of Spain. [04:21.83](MUSIC) [04:34.42]This VOA Special English program [04:36.92]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES [04:39.53]was written by Marilyn Christiano. [04:42.62]Maurice Joyce was the narrator. [04:45.31]I'm Warren Scheer.