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I came across this phrase in the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory(S01E11 06:23).But i have found no explanation about this either in a dictionary or on Internet.Is it kind of a nonce which is coined by Dexter and can only be seen in this cartoon?

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  • Not sure about the context but sweet can literally be applied to anything that you love or like a lot! :) My sweet site - ELL! <3
    – Maulik V
    Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 6:43
  • It's a minced oath - something you say to avoid actually swearing. Dexter's Laboratory, being a children's show, isn't going to actually feature profanity, but sometimes you want to say something to take its place.
    – stangdon
    Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 11:37
  • @stangdon Thanks a lot!If this is a minced oath,then which word is 'pajamas' used to avoid?
    – dubina
    Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 8:11

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Here's the clip you're referring to.

In this context, I would imagine "oh, my sweet pajamas" is used to exclaim "Oh my goodness!" or "Oh wow!" and yes, I would call that a nonce.

Silly cartoons like this one are likely to be full of nonsense. I'd instead recommend "The Magic Schoolbus". Also, you just taught me what "nonce" means. :)

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  • My understanding of nonce was completely different and based on the informal British slang version.
    – david_c
    Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 8:08

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