[Julie Steiner]

Michael, you're right, the French do have a word for alas. It's hélas. So much better.

Spanish has ¡Ay, caramba!, of course, caramba being a politer substitute oath for carajo, i.e. slang for the male member--sorta like saying fudge instead of...well, you know. Another good Spanish oath is chicharones, which literally means fried pork rinds, but I suspect that its use as an expletive is probably somehow related to the verb chichear, which my dictionary defines as to sound ch or s sharply in sign of displeasure; to hiss and actor or speaker. And you can really get traction on that first syllable--¡CHEEEEEE-cha-RO-nes!--enhanced by the mystical power of that upside-down exclamation point at the beginning.

Personally, I usually say Oh, botheration or, in really dire straits, Oh, boogers. Not only are these expressions satisfying per se, with that nice vehement "b", they also have the bonus of annoying and embarrassing my children, which effectively transfers my exasperation to those around me.

Oh, come on, Susan, post the sonnet! It's a goodie.