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Les goddams

obsolete French ethnic slur for the English

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ3772738
Source-derived summary

Les goddams (sometimes les goddems or les goddons) is an obsolete ethnic slur historically used by the French to refer to the English, based on their frequent profanities. The name originated during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) between England and France, when English soldiers were notorious among the French for their frequent use of profanity and in particular the interjection "God damn". Outside France, the term has been used in French Canada. Related terms have existed outside the French-speaking world: Godames was historically used in Brazil, while Gotama was used in East Africa.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Les goddams” as obsolete French ethnic slur for the English. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1337, 1453—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where goddams, obsolete and French can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as obsolete French ethnic slur for the English. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3772738. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1337 and 1453.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  2. Expand the search: follow Les goddams primary sources, Les goddams archive and goddams research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Les goddams” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.