What does the "H" in "Jesus H. Christ" mean?

[x-g.o.p.er]

When I cuss, I should be an informed cusser, I suppose. I only assume it means holy, but I don't know.

[terrya]

1. OLD joke...

"Harold"...

As in "Harold be thy name"...

:-)

Like I said, this is ancient.

Terry

[demnan]

2. Hell

Of course!

[DenverDem]

3. Horatio

is what I always use when I'm swearing long form.

[bif]

4. This was discussed the other day.

It stands for Harrison.

[NicoleM]

5. Hallelujah.

[Kinkistyle]

6. From the Straight Dope

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_033.html

Gives several possible explanations. There is no clear explanation however.

[WolverineDG]

7. Mark Twain

It's a typo...he didn't want to correct it because back then you had to re-do the whole page. he thought the publisher would take it out, but didn't. I can't remember if it's in Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer.

DG

[wryter2000]

8. Boy, was it wrong

I thought it originated in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf. From the foul-mouthed Martha (Elizabeth Taylor character). In the same scene where she does an impression of Bette Davis saying, "What a dump."

[RobertSeattle]

9. Whole thread on this just last Wednesday

What brought this to mind?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=806784

[x-g.o.p.er]

10. The Slate review about the furor over "The Passion"

They used that phrase in the title, and I thought it was funny. Does that mean I'm going to hell?

The reviewer also described the amount of violence in the movie by derisively calling it "The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre", which I thought was funny, too.

Anyone want me to tell Satan "hi" for them, because I am doomed.

DOOMED!

[rockymountaindem]

11. Grandpa said it stands for "Herkemer".

[dweller]

12. Hockeypuck

see ya downstairs...

dp

[Bozola]

13. Haploid

[Nihil]

14. It's just a dummy letter for the computer forms

His real name is simply "Jesus Christ" (no middle name, nothing)
but so many of these registration programs insist you put an
initial before they allow you to exit ...

I had the same problem ... when I registered at college (many moons
ago it must be said), I could not be issued with a badge, a computer
id or a medical form without the use of a middle initial. As this
was quite a common problem, the standard solution was to use the
initial "H" unless it clashed with an existing name (in which case
they used "J", etc.). Mrs.Nihil had the same problem (we both came
from homes that couldn't afford a middle name :-)) as did several
others on my course so there were quite a few people who gained a
middle initial simply by turning up for the first day at college!

Nice to know that there was a historical precedent ...

Nihil

[htuttle]

15. Sort of Related: Anyone know who 'Rastus' would be?

I knew an older guy who used to say, "Jesus H. Christ and his Black-Haired Brother Rastus!" I've never been able to figure that one out.

Personally, I'm also a fan of, "Jesus, Joseph and Mary and the donkey they rode in on!"

[Heyo]

16. I remember Ned Flanders...

On the Simpsons one time..

'Jeepers H Crackers!!!'

I laughed my ass off....

Heyo

[ronnykmarshall]

17. Helen

Mary really wanted a girl.