by the gods

English

Adverb

by the gods (not comparable)

Polytheistic form of of by God.
- 1915, Stephen Vincent Benét, “The Last Banquet [[Quintus] Sertorius Speaks, b. c. 72]”, in Five Men and Pompey: A Series of Dramatic Portraits, Boston, Mass.: The Four Seas Company, →OCLC, page 12:
  What! you shun / An old friend, Balbus? No! It was not I! / No! by the gods! I never gave consent / To those red days of massacre!
- 2000 February 12, Sharon Lee, Steve Miller, “Local Custom”, in Pilots Choice, Atlanta, Ga.: Meisha Merlin Publishing, published February 2001, 2nd printing (May 2001), →ISBN, chapter 16, page 124:
  He lifted eyes half-wild with horror in a face the color of yellow mud. “The child, Lady! By the gods, where is the child?”
- 2000 March 31, Freda Warrington, “Falthorn”, in The Sapphire Throne (The Jewelfire Trilogy; 2), London: Earthlight, →ISBN, page 107:
  ‘Let me up and I’ll explain. Please, I can’t speak. I won’t try to run from you.’ / ‘Oh yes, by the gods, you’ll explain!’ […] ‘And you’ll help me get back to Earth, or I’ll kill you! Tell me, Auriel!’
- 2009 December 4, Jay McKiernan, chapter 6, in The Twins: A Novel (The Tales of Agramon; 1), Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 134:
  “But you’re being so horrible…” “Are you whining? By the gods, if your family could see you now.”