where does what in the sam hill come from
Sam Hill (euphemism)
short
simple bowdlerization
Sam Hill is an American English slang phrase , a euphemism or minced oath for `` the devil '' or `` hell '' personified ( as in , `` What in the Sam Hill is that ? '' ) . Etymologist Michael Quinion and others date the expression back to the late 1830s ; they and others consider the expression to have been a simple bowdlerization , with , according to the Oxford English Dictionary , an unknown origin .