Origin Of The Phrase, “Oh, Brother”

I have been going to the same fairly conservative Christian Reformed church since birth. This happened soon after my first brother was born. He was an extremely fussy baby, less than a year old at this time, and cried constantly.

My brother was fussing in the car as my family — my mother, my father, and two-year-old me — was driving to church. My brother refused to calm down and my father got fed up and yelled, “D*** IT, [BROTHER]!”

He stopped crying instantly, shocked by the loud noise.

But, being the constantly fussy baby that he was, he started up again and was back in full tantrum mode by the time we pulled into a parking space in the church parking lot. I had never been a fan of my little brother and was even less enamored with his constant crying. So, I decided to make a solution.

I yelled, “D*** IT, [BROTHER]!”

Keep in mind that I was two years old, yelling this for the entire church parking lot to hear on Sunday morning. My parents were mortified!