Anyone heard the expression "be the Jesus" used?

[raccoon]

I am reading a book called KIT‘S LAW about a family living In a Newfoundland outport in the 1950s or 60s. One of the characters keeps using this expression.

One example:

“Be the Jesus, Josie, if you ever gets up and runs out of church again… “

[Tetrachloride]

1. try DARE dictionary. if not found, you can submit a citation

[raccoon]

2. Finally found in Amazon, I guessed the words

Regional English

[Tetrachloride]

3. Univ of Wisconsin - Dictionary of American Regional English

https://www.daredictionary.com/

reference librarians likely know it

online search is possible

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Newfoundland is in Canada. It has never been American. . . . . nt

[odins folly]

8. North American? N/T

[stopdiggin]

4. I've (occasionally) heard

"By the Jesus" - with an inflection and meaning (expostulation) that seems quite similar. Perhaps an author that is trying on a dialect?

[gab13by13]

7. Yeah, that's what my uncle used to say,

it's By The Jesus.

Another old one is "Ostia" which means host which equals Jesus Christ. Not sure about my "Italian", I think, spelling.

Swear words.

[yorkster]

9. That's what I think it is. By the Jesus is Anglo/Irish .

Bejeesus has a similar origin. I once had the luck to go to Newfoundland for a week. The eastern part of the Island is heavily populated with people of Irish descent and to my ear it sounded like being in Galway.

Another common NFLD expression is "I's the B'y" or I'm the guy, I'm the man. Pronounced like eyes the buy.
Interesting place, would love to see it again.

[Tanuki]

5. I've often heard "bejesus" (without "the"), as in "scared the bejesus

out of him" or "Bejesus, Mike, what were you thinking?"