"stone the crows" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally Australian English of 1910s, \"referring to the former occupation of watching over cornfields and stoning crows that attempt to plunder the crop.\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "stone the crows",
      "name": "en-interj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Australian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English sentences",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1924, C. J. Dennis, “Rose Of Spadgers”, in Sentimental Bloke and Other Verses, published 1988, page 86",
          "text": "“Why, stone the crows! I′ll look yous up,” sez ′e. / “I need some friends: I ain′t got wife nor chick.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 141",
          "text": "The he pinched himself to make sure he was really awake, \"Stone the crows!\" he said softly. \"Stone the crows!\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, Janette Turner Hospital, Charades, page 63",
          "text": "So I says to meself: stone the crows, I′m a doomed man, might as well shoot through. It was cyclone time, see, and there′s been flash floods and this rock as big as a house has gone.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Norman Jorgensen, Jack′s Island, ReadHowYouWant, published 2011, page 170",
          "text": "‘Stone the crows,’ I whispered in sheer relief.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Generalized expression of surprise or amazement, or just for emphasis."
      ],
      "id": "en-stone_the_crows-en-intj-RSZ5bFxi",
      "links": [
        [
          "surprise",
          "surprise#English"
        ],
        [
          "amazement",
          "amazement#English"
        ],
        [
          "emphasis",
          "emphasis#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Australia, colloquial) Generalized expression of surprise or amazement, or just for emphasis."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "sense": "expression of surprise",
          "word": "holy cow"
        },
        {
          "sense": "expression of surprise",
          "word": "stone me"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "UK",
        "colloquial"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-stone the crows.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b5/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "stone the crows"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally Australian English of 1910s, \"referring to the former occupation of watching over cornfields and stoning crows that attempt to plunder the crop.\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "stone the crows",
      "name": "en-interj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Australian English",
        "British English",
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English interjections",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English sentences",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1924, C. J. Dennis, “Rose Of Spadgers”, in Sentimental Bloke and Other Verses, published 1988, page 86",
          "text": "“Why, stone the crows! I′ll look yous up,” sez ′e. / “I need some friends: I ain′t got wife nor chick.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 141",
          "text": "The he pinched himself to make sure he was really awake, \"Stone the crows!\" he said softly. \"Stone the crows!\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, Janette Turner Hospital, Charades, page 63",
          "text": "So I says to meself: stone the crows, I′m a doomed man, might as well shoot through. It was cyclone time, see, and there′s been flash floods and this rock as big as a house has gone.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Norman Jorgensen, Jack′s Island, ReadHowYouWant, published 2011, page 170",
          "text": "‘Stone the crows,’ I whispered in sheer relief.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Generalized expression of surprise or amazement, or just for emphasis."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "surprise",
          "surprise#English"
        ],
        [
          "amazement",
          "amazement#English"
        ],
        [
          "emphasis",
          "emphasis#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Australia, colloquial) Generalized expression of surprise or amazement, or just for emphasis."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "UK",
        "colloquial"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-stone the crows.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b5/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/En-au-stone_the_crows.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "expression of surprise",
      "word": "holy cow"
    },
    {
      "sense": "expression of surprise",
      "word": "stone me"
    }
  ],
  "word": "stone the crows"
}