Swearing in Southern

There are many a comment I could make here about cussin' in Southern. But many Southernerns (especially the ladies) use euphemisms to swear. Here are a couple of examples.

"Well, I'll a swaney" for "Well, I swear" The term is often used to indicate disbelief or surprise. For example, let's say someone tells a tale about someone. The person may say, "Well, Ill a swaney." There is a dear elderly lady who used to say this all the time. For years I had no idea what Granny Frances was saying. (BTW we call people our Granny and Granpa or Aunt and Uncle who we are real close to even though they are not actually bloodkin. I guess that's where them Yankees think we got incest goin on or sumpten. What's wrong with 'em folks up thar?) But recently I learned what it was.

Another phrase that is almost the same in meaning is "Well, I'll be dog." It stands for "Well, I'll be dam*" (Notice I did not say the word I used an asterick for the last letter. hahaha). Again, used for surprise or disbelief.