Just curious as to where this expression came from and when it came into being. It's one that is commonly used (among other variations, e.g. "Oh for crying out loud!"), but where does it come from originally?
Learn English – “Oh, for Pete’s sake!”
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I found a use of the phrase in The Sun of New London, Connecticut, January 13, 1917:
The cat in copy-cat means person.
The OED says at copy-cat n.:
Etymology: cat n.1 2.
the referenced sense being:
cat n.1 2. fig. a. As a term of contempt for a human being; esp. one who scratches like a cat; a spiteful or backbiting woman. spec. an itinerant worker (U.S. slang).
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Etymonline says