I heard or read various expressions starting with 'Oh my' such as
Oh, my god!
Oh, my gosh!
Oh, my brother!
Oh, my dad!
Oh, my heart!
Oh, my word!
or simply 'Oh, my!'
From dictionary search, 'Oh my god' expresses surprise or asking for help. For example, 'Oh, my god' might mean I get so much surprised and I don't know what to do. Please, help me, god.
But then, when it goes to the expression of 'Oh, my word', I don't know how I can even interpret it. Do natives intend any specific meaning or attitude when they say those phrases? Or do the expressions have no meaning intended except the surprise and they say those by habit?
Best Answer
It is simply an idiom expressing surprise, and the third word has no literal meaning. Which any given person uses can probably be attributed to the regional dialect where they grew up.