Sam Hill (euphemism)
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Sam Hill is an American English slang phrase, a euphemism for "Hell", or "Damn" (as in, "What in Sam Hill is that?"). Its usage dates back to at least 1839.
Its etymology is uncertain. Some have suggested that the "Sam" in the phrase derives from Samiel, the name of the Devil in Der Freischütz, an opera by Carl Maria von Weber that was performed in New York in 1825. However, it may ultimately be derived from a bowdlerization or alliteration of "hell" with "hill".
[edit] References
- Mencken, H.L., The American Language, 4th Edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1936.
Euphemism Sam Hill is considered a soft replacement for hell or damn.
Origins Used in 19th century America by frontiersmen, especially when they needed to clean up their language in the presence of ladies. First used in print in 1839; in America, Seattle Newspaper. Jim Hill, the legendary "empire builder", whose railroads, including the Great Northern, remained his last monument, was a man given to notable rages when anyone dared to oppose one of his grandiose schemes. So frequent were these tirades, that the paper carried as a standing headline: "Jim Hill is as mad as Sam Hill.." Other phrases include "go like Sam Hill" or "run like Sam Hill". In reference to Col. Samuel Hill who perpetually ran for office in the late 19th Century.
From: *www.samhill.co.uk
