THEIDIOMS

As always, one can only admire Carl Barks' inventive diversity when it comes to 'that little extra' in his stories - in this case his use of surprising jargons and odd phrases in his ducks' dialogue. Of course, they are frequent users of idioms* that many Americans also use without probably even thinking about it such as Doggone, Gee, Goody, Gosh, Nope, Yep, Yipes, and many more, but they are not interesting here. The ducks have a great vocabulary besides the aforementioned 'flat' idioms and for the first time ever a complete collection of their amusing idioms is published! Maybe you will even feel inclined to broaden your own daily vocabulary? Take your pick...

NB.: It is important to notice that the vast majority of the idioms displayed below - in alphabetical order - have been uttered on more than one occasion, but in all instances you will only find one story code for each one. Thus a code next to an idiom should only be seen as a single example.

* The term Idiom means 'A speech form or an expression that is peculiar to itself grammatically or that cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements'.

DONALD

Blow Me Down! (U$16)
Gawsh! (WDCS117)
Golly! (WDCS192)
Good Grief! (WDCS244)
Great Caesar! (WDCS071)
Great Caesar's Ghost! (U$12)
Great Scott! (WDCS070)
Great Sufferin' Sunflowers! (WDCS080)
Hogwash! (WDCS112)
I'll Be Doggoned! (WDCS127)
I'll Take Vanilla! (FC0386)
Jumpin' Barnacles on the Binnacles! (U$25)
My Stars! (WDCS279)
My Stars and Little Comets! (WDCS254)
Oh, Boy! (WDCS184)
Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! (WDCS193)
Oh, Brother! (WDCS204)
Oh, Me! (U$13)
Oh, My Grandmother's Smelling Salts! (WDCS204)
Oh, My Stars! (WDCS175)
Phooey! (WDCS177)
Sufferin' Sawfish! (WDCS150)
Wowie! (WDCS182)
Ye Cats! (WDCS153)
Ye Crickets! (WDCS112)

One of Donald's most frequently used idioms is Oh, Boy!, which is also doubled (and in the nephews' dialogues it is, naturally, even tripled!). The idiom can actually have different meanings, but when Donald uses it the phrase Oh, Boy! most often means surprise and negativity, while Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! most often signals excitement and positiveness. Using just such minor variations Barks was able to describe Donald's varying moods.

THE NEPHEWS

Blazing Rocket Tails! (U$29)
Gangway! (U$18)
Golly! (WDCS114)
Good Gravy! (WDCS244)
Good Grief! (FC1073)
Jeepers Creepers! (U$14)
My Stars! (U$15)
Oh, Boy, Oh, Boy! (WDCS183)
Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! (U$17)
Oh, Golly! (WDCS199)
Oh Me, Oh My! (WDCS193)
Oh, Meesie! Oh, Mysie! (CP2)
Oh, My Sox and Shoes! (U$51)
Oh, Woe is Us! (WDCS246)
Smoley Hokes! (WDCS183)
Sufferin' Sour Tomatoes! (WDCS133)
Upsy Daisy! (WDCS233)
Yimminy Crickets! (WDCS133)

As you well know the nephews often split up a single sentence between themselves which means that in most cases only one of them (usually the first one speaking) can be credited for the idioms. Still, their idioms are conceived as coming from them all.

SCROOGE

Blazin' Boxcars! (U$65)
Blazin' Brimstone! (WDCS202)
By Doggies! (U$28)
By Gravy! (U$30)
Fiddle-Faddle! (WDCS172)
For Pete's Sake! (U$31)*
Good Gravy! (U$32)
Great Asteroids (DBP)
Great Bales of Banknotes! (U$68)
Great Balls of Bullion! (U$56)
Great Stumbling Catastrophes! (U$14)
Great Whiskers! (U$34)
Howling Hotrods! (DBP)
I'll Be Keel Hauled! (U$25)
Jivin' Gelatin! (DBP)
Jumpin' Jackalopes! (U$12)**
Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! (FC0456)
Lands O' Goshen! (USGTD)***
My Stars! (WDCS226)
My Stars, Man! (U$57)
Oh, Me! (U$31)
Oh, Me! Oh, My! (FC0386)
Oh, My! (U$54)
Oh, My Blue-backed Arithmetic! (U$31)
Oh, My Buggin' Eye Bulbs! (U$17)
Oh, My Goodness Gracious Me! (U$06)
Oh, My Heavenly Days! (WDCS206)
Oh, My Lands to Goshen! (WDCS130)***
Oh, My Soul and Pocketbook! (U$58)
Oh, My Sox and Shoes! (U$20)
Oh, My Stars! (FC0386)
Oh, Woe is Me! (FC0386)
Smoley Cows! (U$65)
Sufferin' Saturn (DBP)
Wooden Puddin'! (WDCS144)
Ye Cats! (FC0386)

* Similar idiom: In WDCS192 Barks let a man say: For Shrimps' Sake!
** Similar idiom: In WDCS221 Barks let a man say: Jumping Jackrabbits!
*** Goshen was originally known as a biblical locality in Egypt's Nile delta. It is also the name of numerous cities in the USA.

GRANDMA

Dear me! (FC1161)
Good Grief! (FC1073)
Gracious! (VID)
Heavens to Betsy! (WDCS132)
I do declare! (U$32)
Land o' Goshen! (FC1161)
Land Sakes! (U$32)
Land Sakes Alive! (CP2)
Lands o' Goshen! (U$32)
Mercy me! (WDCS216)
Oh, dear me! (FC1010)
Sakes Alive! (FC1010)
Tsk! Tsk! (FC1010)

In WDCS187 a lady intertwines some of Grandma's idioms by saying: Gracious Sakes Alive!