OMG! You have no doubt seen it in memes, texts, and online comments. You have no doubt written it yourself. You have no doubt said it, both as its acronym and spelled out.
And you probably know it has been around a while and is not an invention of millenials — it just seems that way because it has become so ubiquitous. Actually, the phrase is quite old.
Oh my god has a long history, with My god dating back to at least 1340. Oh my god is likely a variation on My god and Oh god, historically used for the same purpose as it is now used: to express emotions like dismay, surprise, and disgust. These early uses may also have their roots in prayer, expressing gratitude, requesting help, or pleading for forgiveness from God.
The particular phrase Oh my god first appeared in print in the 1880s in a religious context. Then, it appeared as an exclamation of extreme emotion by 1905.
But it is in 1917 that the acronym OMG first appeared in print. It was coined in that year by British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher in a letter to Winston Churchill. He wrote, “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!) —Shower it on the Admiralty!!”
The phrase was not popularly adopted back then, but it has grown immensely common with text messaging and social media in the 1990s.
Is the phrase blasphemous? Saying “Oh my god,” is usually not considered to be mocking God, but it is often viewed as taking God’s name in vain. I guess whether or not one considers the phrase disrespectful depends upon one’s religious beliefs and the intent that is either said or heard. I don’t think most people are thinking about religion or God when they use it. Religion and God were quite a bit more present in our lives years ago, when the phrase was not immediately picked up and popularized.
Who would have known if it was popular anyway? We didn’t have social media and texting!
So here is the big question: Is God capitalized in the phrase when it is written out? Note that I did not capitalize it in this post. Here is what The Chicago Manual of Style says:
In the phrase “Oh my God,” God is typically capitalized in more formal writing because it functions as a proper noun (the name of the monotheistic deity). However, using a lowercase g is also very common in casual writing when using the phrase as a generic expression of shock rather than a direct religious reference.
Oh, and notice that Admiral Fisher used periods after each letter in the acronym. We don’t do that. In fact, we don’t use periods in any acronym (IBM, NAACP, ASPCA).
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My second “hit” song has been released! You can find it anywhere!
Words and Music by Arlene Miller and Norman Bergen
Vocals by Lainie Gulliksen
Guitar by Lindsey Blair
Composed, arranged, and produced by Norman Bergan
Engineered by Paul Kronk
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