god only knows

[McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]God only knows!Inf。Only God knows。; No one knows but God。Tom:How long is all this going to take?Alice:God only knows!Bob:Where are we going to find one hundred thousand dollars?Mary:God only knows!God knows idiom Also,goodness knows; heaven knows。1。Truly,certainly,definitely,as in God knows I need a winter coat。This expression,which originated about 1300 as God wot,does not necessarily imply that God is all-knowing but merely emphasizes the truth of the statement it accompanies。The variants using goodness and heaven are euphemisms that avoid taking God's name in vain。[Second half of 1500s]2。Also,God only knows。Only God knows,that is,neither I nor anyone else knows,as in God knows where I've stored those photos,or God only knows how many people will join the march。[Second half of 1500s]