"laws-a-mercy" meaning in English

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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "laws-a-mercy",
      "name": "en-interj"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Appalachian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Southern US English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1856, Invisible Green, William G.] [Crippen, Green Peas: Picked from the Patch of Invisible Green, Esq. ..., page 160:",
          "text": "\"Laws-a-mercy!\" exclaimed the old lady,\" I wonder if you kin tell true?\" \"The science never fails,\" replied a voice we had heard before. \"Will you choose clairvoyance or the cards?\" \"It does not matter a mite to me.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1859, F Claudius Armstrong, The Lily of Devon, page 172:",
          "text": "\"Laws-a-mercy! I gets eight pounds, and Mrs. Jones, thirty pounds and perquisites; and you, a young lady, that knows so much. Laws-a-mercy! what a shame.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1895, Lilian Bell, A Little Sister to the Wilderness, page 225:",
          "text": "\"[...] laws-a-mercy! Laws-a-mercy! What shall we do? Everybody that can get away will light out, and who will hep those that have to stay?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A minced oath for \"Lord have mercy\"."
      ],
      "id": "en-laws-a-mercy-en-intj-zu2WSqiu",
      "links": [
        [
          "minced oath",
          "minced oath#English"
        ],
        [
          "Lord",
          "Lord#English"
        ],
        [
          "have",
          "have#English"
        ],
        [
          "mercy",
          "mercy#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Southern US, Appalachia, possibly dated) A minced oath for \"Lord have mercy\"."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Appalachia",
        "Southern-US",
        "dated",
        "possibly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "laws-a-mercy"
}

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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "laws-a-mercy",
      "name": "en-interj"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Appalachian English",
        "English dated terms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English interjections",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Southern US English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1856, Invisible Green, William G.] [Crippen, Green Peas: Picked from the Patch of Invisible Green, Esq. ..., page 160:",
          "text": "\"Laws-a-mercy!\" exclaimed the old lady,\" I wonder if you kin tell true?\" \"The science never fails,\" replied a voice we had heard before. \"Will you choose clairvoyance or the cards?\" \"It does not matter a mite to me.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1859, F Claudius Armstrong, The Lily of Devon, page 172:",
          "text": "\"Laws-a-mercy! I gets eight pounds, and Mrs. Jones, thirty pounds and perquisites; and you, a young lady, that knows so much. Laws-a-mercy! what a shame.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1895, Lilian Bell, A Little Sister to the Wilderness, page 225:",
          "text": "\"[...] laws-a-mercy! Laws-a-mercy! What shall we do? Everybody that can get away will light out, and who will hep those that have to stay?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A minced oath for \"Lord have mercy\"."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "minced oath",
          "minced oath#English"
        ],
        [
          "Lord",
          "Lord#English"
        ],
        [
          "have",
          "have#English"
        ],
        [
          "mercy",
          "mercy#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Southern US, Appalachia, possibly dated) A minced oath for \"Lord have mercy\"."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Appalachia",
        "Southern-US",
        "dated",
        "possibly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "laws-a-mercy"
}