why ?.

[BockingBob]

Why when something goes wrong do we say
"whoops-a-daisy ?. I know it's in place of swearing, but what has a daisy got to do with it ?.

[mallam]

A bit complicated. Think �alas� (orig. French, meaning something like �oh what a bore�) > �alack� (I think perhaps folk etymology, meaning something like �oh what a lack/shame�) > �alack-a-day/lack-a-day/lackaday (alas the day, woe is the day) > �lackadaisy�. Then by analogy, �up-adaisy/upsadaisy/oopsadaisy/whoopsaday� (all of which I used to hear people say more often) and �oopsadaisy/whoopsadaisy�, which is the usual form now.

[mallam]

If that�s too much detail perhaps I should have said a daisy has nothing to do with it at all. It�s just a playful elaboration. Of course the daisy of daisy chains comes from �day's eye�, as you no doubt know.

[Quizmonster]

I don't believe it ever had anything to do with swearing. Its earliest appearance in print was in the 1860s, spelt 'upsa-daesy'. It appears to have no connection with the flower, as such, but the 'ups' or 'oops' part is just a natural exclamation suggesting surprise. (We also use it when we nearly bump into someone, for example.) Also, when we suddenly lift a child, the same element of surprise - and delight for the 'victim' in this situation - is present. As for the rest of the word, it might just as easily have been 'dandy', 'dinky', 'doozy', or any other similarly rhythmic sound.

[BockingBob]

Thanks guys

[Groupie]

Stick to the graffiti jokes much more fun

[mallam]

Yes, qmr, I should have made more of the playful elaboration aspect I only even mentioned as an afterthought. There is certainly a strong association with children for the -day and -daisy forms. It's all part of the lifting 'up/oop', isn't it? Hence the multiplying elaborations upsy-daisy/oopsy-daisy/whoopsy-daisy, and as I said above, I have been aware of all the -daisy forms supplanting the -day forms in my own lifetime.

But I have also been aware of distinctions being made between the ups/oops forms and the whoops forms for accidents (hence the 'whoopsie'). OED says 'whoops' may a natural exclamation which has become confused with ups/oops.

We agree that it never had anything to do with swearing (can't think what gave Bob that idea), but not that that the ending might just as easily have been 'dandy', 'dinky', 'doozy', or any other similarly rhythmic sound. No doubt I did give too much detail about the etymology, but my point was that the 'day' was already well established in alack-a-day/lack-a-day/lackaday (alas the day, woe is the day) > �lackadaisy�, from which we get 'lackadaisical', and the analogy and the elaboration were from that.

[joannahoney]

My Grandma used to say "whoops-a-daisy,Whoops a bloomin' buttercup" don't know where that came from !!! but I grew up thinking that was the normal sentence. Just thought I would put this on as I am very new to all this.