Meaning of oathlet | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A minced oath.
   dated
2. A pledge or promise that does not carry the full level of commitment of an oath.
   nonce-word

Examples

“The visitors were prepared with a meek, uncomplaining, expected fourpenny fee to the janitor; no murmur, no half-vented oathlet at a verger, no smothered blessing—in italics—of the dean and chapter, but the hush-money was held out with a perfect quiet, as though it was indeed hushed by the breathing silence of the cathedral itself!”

“cock and pie: an obsolete oathlet, in which "cock" may be a corruption of God, and "pie" the Romish mass-book; but the reference may be merely to a cock and a magpie, which were coupled on tavern signs.”

“Afore me is a mild protestation, — a sort⟳ of oath, or oathlet.”

“At his restoration "fat Louis" was fully and sympathetically aware of his subjects' need⟳ to let⟳ bygones be bygones. The elderly M. de Barentin was stumblingly explaining to Louis how it was that he had not — strictly speaking —in actual fact — sworn an oath of allegiance to Napoleon Bonaparte. “I quite understand⟳,” Louis broke in.“At our age one only does things by halves. You didn't swear⟳ an oath to Bonaparte, you swore an oathlet."”

CEFR level