Sacre Bleu or sacrebleu or sacredieu:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=22984


Re: definition of "sacre bleu"
"Bleu" is for "Dieu", "Diantre" for "Diable". We have (or had), "palsambleu" (vine of Eucharisty), "sacrebleu" (in some provinces, "sacrédiou"), "ventrebleu" (blasphemous description for Eucharisty), "morbleu" ("Mort de Dieu")... and probably others. In my Poitou, old Protestants said "Jarnicoton". I have discovered it meant "Je renie Coton" (who was a "renégat").

All this is no more used. Accurently, people have scatologic and sexual obsessions, not religious ones...
Re: definition of "sacre bleu"
Hello,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Didier_S
In my Poitou, old Protestants said "Jarnicoton". I have discovered it meant "Je renie Coton" (who was a "renégat")..
Coton was Henri VI (of France) confessor. As Henri used to swear with "jarnidieu" = "je renie Dieu", Coton asked him not to swear this way and he said "reniez-moi plutôt". Then Henri changed his "jarnidieu" to a new "jarnicoton"
Enjoy French!