# Forum Other Languages English for Russians - Изучаем английский язык Learn English - Грамматика, переводы, словарный запас  God's fish!

## Leof

Can anybody tell me - does such swearing exist today?
If it does then tell, is it only English or some Americans use it too?
And the last but not least - what does it mean? Any similarities in Russian? 
Thank you!  ::

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## TATY

Never heard it in my life.

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## Бармалей

I have no clue what you are talking about. Do you have a source for this -- perhaps you simply misheard/encountered a typo?

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## Leof

Well, I read the book written by David Hume - he was Scot, a writer, historian and lived in 18'th century. He writes that "God's fish!" was the favourite swearing of King Charles II of England.
Pitty it disappiered in passed times.  ::   
I like that. I like how it sounds!

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## Бармалей

> Well, I read the book written by David Hume - he was Scot, a writer, historian and lived in 18'th century. He writes that "God's fish!" was the favourite swearing of King Charles II of England.
> Pitty it disappiered in passed times.   
> I like that. I like how it sounds!

 Sure it's not "codpiece?"  ::   Interesting, though. File that one under the "do not try this at home" category. If you tried to use this today, people would look at you like you're from Mars.

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## kalinka_vinnie

I use God's fish! Every time I get hit in the head by a brick, that is my favorite phrase to say!  (warning, this post contains irony)

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## Leof

::

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## Rtyom

> I use God's fish! Every time I get hit in the head by a brick, that is my favorite phrase to say!  (warning, this post contains irony)

 Let me presume that you learnt the phrase very quickly because you were hit so many times!

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## net surfer

*looking around for a brick*

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## TATY

Charles II lived from 1630 - 1685, so I think it's safe to say this phrase has died out. 
It wouldn't even be swearing now, anyway. Not even blasphemous.

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## Leof

> Charles II lived from 1630 - 1685, so I think it's safe to say this phrase has died out.

   ::   ::   ::  
it has died...vanished..disappiered...     
(*falls on his knees, screams in hollywood-like maner rising his arms up ::  WHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?????????   ::   ::   
LOL...anyway I like such remarks in the books.

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## NineOne

> It wouldn't even be swearing now, anyway. Not even blasphemous.

 If I had to guess I'd say that's probably it right there. I guess it might have been a swear while Christianity was more prominent, as it uses the lords name in vain, or some such.

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## Seventh-Monkey

Never ever heard that, but you may occasionally come across "zounds!", which is short for "God's wounds". I guess that was a more serious thing to say back in olde times.

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## Leof

Ok I understood - there is no such contemporary swearing
but what could it be if it were used today?
What sense does it have?
Does it have any?

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## Seventh-Monkey

Some people will understand "zounds!". It's not used seriously, though. It's just a funny-sounding word, so people like it  :: . You would only get strange looks if you said "God's fish".

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## Volk

I think it's just a stand-alone phrase, if it was to be used more. 
I'm quite sure 'What in God's fish are you doing' wouldn't make any sense... 
Or 'By God's fish'. 
Perhaps kalinka_vinnie could get back to you on that one. 
It's better in gramatical terms just to say 'God's fish' if you don't mind sounding old-fashioned or 'What in God's name' or 'By God' but those are all the more blasphemous.

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## Leof

GOD'S FISH!!
hehe - was it weird?...ok I shall whisper:  God's fish 
No? still weird I suppose...a wee bit louder God's FISH!!God's fish!  God's FISH! gOd'S fIsH! 
ok...
ok
I'll stop it..
i just had to try 
 :P

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## Volk

Still sounds weird to me, but if you would like to shout it out loud 50 feet above the ground no ones stopping you...

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## Rtyom

"Cat's fish" makes more sense even to me! 
You should cry it out loud.

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## Seventh-Monkey

It's beyond old-fashioned, it's just jibberish.

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## kalinka_vinnie

Heck, I had never heard of any fish related to God, expect maybe those that Jesus dished up way back when, until Leof pulled it out of his bag... expect no help from me  ::

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## basurero

MAYBE, it's got something to do with God's fish, the fish that belong to god!  
Look, God's fish! Hi!

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## Rtyom

Leof can buy an aquarium fish and name it God's Fish. As such, the word combination would be truthful.

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## Leof

No! It should be exotical Japanese meal - a piece of half-cooked fish without any sensible taste and 1000$ cost per portion!  ::

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## capecoddah

My avitar is a Cod fish...
I asked an old-timer commercial fisherman about this. He said the meaning he knew of was when you caught a better species of fish than you were trying to get. If you set out to get scup @ $1 per pound and got flounder @ $3 a pound at the dock, they were "God's fish". He also asked me where I came up with all these strange (yet entertaining) questions.

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## Leof

Upon a whole,(   ::   ) that's more than I could expect and it is very curious fact indeed! Thank you *DDT*. I think when Charles said that he didn't mean the fishery, anyway...I'm going to e-mail to Oxford they to decide and reply me what for God's fish's sake the God's fish is!?!

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## kalinka_vinnie

> Upon a whole,(    ) that's more than I could expect and it is very curious fact indeed! Thank you *DDT*. I think when Charles said that he didn't mean the fishery, anyway...I'm going to e-mail to Oxford they to decide and reply me what for God's fish's sake the God's fish is!?!

 *DDT*? What did he do to deserve a thank you?

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## kwatts59

What in God's fish are you all talking about? 
Why don't we all start using the expression and bring it back to life?

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## basurero

> What is God's fish are you all talking about? 
> Why don't we all start using the expression and bring it back to life?

 I'm in, but first we have to decide what it means... or have we already?

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## Leof

Guys...    
Guys.... 
ammm 
I even do not know how to tell you...
but now - after I found this place in book it is written "*C*od's fish!" 
I am so sorry - I misread it...
it was COD'sFISH that is it...   ::  
I ask forgive me for so missread!

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## basurero

ЛОЛ after all that you missread it!!!!!!!! And we were just about to start a whole new trend too!   ::   ::   ::

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## Leof

I AM SORRY!!!!  ::     ::   ::

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## Rtyom

Coming back to the issue. What is correct---cod's fish oder cod fish?

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## Leof

Cod's fish! 
That is correct. 
Do you know German? ODER or OR?

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## Rtyom

Cod fish is the only spelling variant I know. But I could be ignorant just as soon. 
Oder = or. It's German, and I know the lang.

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## Leof

well eventually it might change its spelling in past years.
Aparently it still does exist in such form...well not aparently but probably..I believe!   ::

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## capecoddah

See that picture near my name? That's a COD FISH. I live on Cape COD, so named by Barthomew Gosnold in 1602 because of the abundance of COD fish.         
God's fish  :: 
I'm glad you didn't misread Bass Fish

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## Leof

Yep - it was silly of me to not understand what's cod fish! _On the whole_, I am not wondering why Charles II said that to Sir William Temple after he was told that French king Louis XIV propoused to him to leave on the Isle only eight thousand of soldiers for keeping the Kingdom in order and full obedience...Of course the first thing which could came on one's mind is nothing but Cod fish!
Cod's fish - I simply love this swearing!   ::  *capecoddah* I believe if Charles were a member of MR.com he would like your avatair!  ::

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## kalinka_vinnie

::  All that collective brainpower WASTED!

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## Leof

Cod's fish! What's wrong with you man? Why are you trying to kill yourself in the wall?  ::  
Calm down. Relax and repeat slowly:
Cod's------fiiiiiishhhh (yes right watch your breath)
again Cod's -----fiiiiishhhhh 
Feel better?
I am into this practice about last ten years - no stress anymore - I forgot what does the word mean!
Cod's fish be with you!  ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::

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## Rtyom

> All that collective brainpower WASTED!

 Now have a good laugh altogether, Vinnie! And don't kill yourself against the wall, just write more, author!  ::    ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::

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## capecoddah

треска рьiба = Cod Fish (according to Barron's R-E/E-R Dictionary) 
I propose the following use of "God's Fish": A general exclamation in place of a four letter word, and/or a silly/stupid mistake. A polite flame.  
ie: "What in/the/in the God's Fish are you talking about Leof?" " What kind of God's Fish is that?" "He has God's Fish for a brain" 
Discuss   ::

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## Leof

Yes. Yes! Let it be as you said!  ::   ::

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## Volk

> треска рьiба = Cod Fish (according to Barron's R-E/E-R Dictionary

 What happened to your 'ы' key?  
And, since this topic doesn't want to die... 
What is God's fish in Russian anyway?

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## Seventh-Monkey

"Бога рыба"?

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## TATY

> Originally Posted by capecoddah  треска рьiба = Cod Fish (according to Barron's R-E/E-R Dictionary   What happened to your 'ы' key?  
> And, since this topic doesn't want to die... 
> What is God's fish in Russian anyway?

 Looks Ukrainian.  
But you can't just shove two nouns together like this in Russian.
You've looked up Cod, and then looked up Fish. This is Russian, not English. 
Dictionaries are not beginners' friends.

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## kalinka_vinnie

Cod Fish really just means Cod which is треска
God's Fish would be рыба Бога or, lol, Богина рыба  ::

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## Chuvak

"Божья рыба"  ::

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## Leof

> Богина рыба

 I like Б*о*гина р*ы*ба  much more!  ::  
But yes it should be Б*о*жья р*ы*ба or Б*о*жья р*ы*бина or Б*о*жья р*ы*бка or  Б*о*жья рыб*ё*шка.

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## Rtyom

Божья рыба! Во что вы превратили этот топик?

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## Leof

Рыба Божья! Kакая погода!! Весна на улице!
God's fish! What a weather!! The Spring is on the street!  ::

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## capecoddah

TATY, I used two words to represent the term "Cod fish", I know that Cod refers to a fish, just exagerating the point.  If I talked to someone on the docks saying they were going out for 'cod-fish, flounder-fish or tuna-fish', I'd tell them to file a float plan because they probably don't know what the God's Fish they were doing. I'd also like to see what they came back with... Probably a God's Fish or a boat filled with the limit of every species. 
A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister go fishing one day........  ::       Jesus Fish was all I could find.

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## Rtyom

What I think... It seems there's a big myth has born which became the part of the MR Forum. This will be the first brick in the base of our mythology and a feature. This is called *Leof's God's Fish!!* 
Wherever you are, whatever your do it's the God's Fish!! treading on your heals, penetrating your mind, and trying to make you insert itself in any phrase...

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## TATY

> TATY, I used two words to represent the term "Cod fish", I know that Cod refers to a fish, just exagerating the point.  If I talked to someone on the docks saying they were going out for 'cod-fish, flounder-fish or tuna-fish', I'd tell them to file a float plan because they probably don't know what the God's Fish they were doing. I'd also like to see what they came back with... Probably a God's Fish or a boat filled with the limit of every species. 
> A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister go fishing one day........       Jesus Fish was all I could find.

 No, I mean. In Russian you cannot grammatically stick two nouns together like you did. In Cod Fish, Cod functions as an adjective, but in English it doesn't make any different because an adjective looks like a noun anywa. In Russian though, and adjective looks different to a know.

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## Volk

You can't stick an 'i' and a soft sign together either and make it ы, as far as I'm aware.    

> Wherever you are, whatever your do it's the God's Fish!! treading on your heals, penetrating your mind, and trying to make you insert itself in any phrase...

 Ridiculous. What the God's Fish are you talking about...

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## TATY

God's fish actually is slang for a certain part of a woman's anatomy.

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## kalinka_vinnie

Nah, the slang word for her long eyelashes is not God's fish!

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## capecoddah

You can't stick an 'i' and a soft sign together either and make it ы, as far as I'm aware. 
the ы key was in the bathroom at the time I needed it. 
I used the 2 words INTENTIONALLY INCORRECLTLY, like saying a goldfish-fish. I had hashed it out in a chat previously, the woman thinks we have TOO much time on our hands. She lives too far from the ocean to know seafood very well. What's the translation for 'scrod'? 
Besides, we're (only?) talking about God's Fish here  ::   Lighten up!

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## Leof

> No, I mean. In Russian you cannot grammatically stick two nouns together like you did. In Cod Fish, Cod functions as an adjective, but in English it doesn't make any different because an adjective looks like a noun anywa. In Russian though, and adjective looks different to a know.

 well this is true and not.
The thing is that some of Russian names of fishes HAS two nouns as well!
they are written with this >-< in the middle like: 
рыба-меч - or more rare меч-рыба - sword-fish
рыба-пила - saw-fish
рыба-молот - hammer-fish
all was named by the shape of their heads
there are many others named similar
and рыба-кит - "whale-fish" - is from Russian folklore 
so треска рыба can be used in stylised language - if you wish to make your language sound 'legendary' like in fairytail. 
Let's call God's fish a God's fish! And seriously, I praise the Scott David Hume for being the sourse of my missread and I'll visit his grave in Edinburgh and honour his memory. I love his books.

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## Rtyom

He will be God's-fishy happy if you will!

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## Leof

Me too! For God's fish and all Saints - he was a nice gentleman!  ::

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## Rtyom

He used to be.  :: 
Don't forget to lay a God's fish on his tomb!

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## Volk

> the ы key was in the bathroom at the time I needed it.

 Uh, right. I'll just take your word for it. I don't want to know where any of your other keys are...

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## Seventh-Monkey

> so треска рыба can be used in stylised language - if you wish to make your language sound 'legendary' like in fairytail.

 Сказокы - "tales" па-Англиский, не "tails"  :: . 
Does that make any sense? Can you even say "_x_ is _y_ in _some language_" in Russian, or do you have to say "translates to" or something. Please excuse my pidgin Russian, but it's the only way I'll learn.

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## Leof

Ah yes - fairytales. Tails are something other   ::  Thank you Alex!
(Сказки по-английски - tales) 
and yes - you can say in Russian:
сказки это tales по-английски
сказка будет  tales по-английски
сказки переводится как tales на английский

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## Indra

Don't some of the fairies have tails? :)

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## Leof

they aparently do!

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