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3. for goodness' sake

for goodness' sake

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for goodness' sake

(spoken) also for goodness sakes

I am surprised or annoyed by this for Pete's sake For goodness' sake, Harry, what are you doing at this time of night? Well, for goodness sakes, why didn't you tell me that earlier so I could have changed my plans?

Usage notes: used for emphasis and often used instead of the more offensive idioms for God's sake and for Christ's sake

Related vocabulary: for crying out loud

See also: sake