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I've heard someone who considers himself to be a "gangster" say "Oh my Lanta". I looked up this phrase, and apparently "Mylanta" is stomach medication, and it's a replacement for "Oh my God", so you won't take the Lord's name in vain. However, this definition really doesn't fit. Is there another meaning for "Oh my Lanta"?

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As an aside, my sense is that part of the joke is that a gangster would be concerned about "taking the lord's name in vain," given all the other nasty things his job entails. – onomatomaniak Oct 21 '11 at 7:43
@Mahnax You'd be amazed for what people believe themselves absolved by mincing oaths or attending church. – cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 Jul 23 '12 at 16:12

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I had originally thought it came directly from an ad campaign for Mylanta, but the more I look for it, I can't find those campaigns. I'm beginning to think they don't exist. They did have a campaign with "My doctor said Mylanta" and I know they used "oh Mylanta" on Full House in the 80s and 90s. My guess is it's a joke that many people made, with having the 'my' built into the word it lends itself to it nicely.

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up vote 0 down vote

I'd never heard this phrase, but the Urban Dictionary tells us that it's a way of saying "Oh my God" or "Oh my Lord" without resorting to blasphemy and the eternal damnation inherent therein.

Faced with the need to say "Oh my [something]" without taking anyone's name in vain, the next two syllables "lanta" just seem to roll off the tongue, given that Mylanta is, as you say, a well known over-the-counter antacid medication.

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The oddity here is that the person that I've heard say "Oh my Lanta" would be the last person on earth to care about blasphemy. – Mahnax Oct 21 '11 at 13:25

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