The expression ay, caramba is a Spanish exclamation that denotes surprise, famously used by Bart in The Simpsons. The ay part of the phrase is a common interjection in Spanish to express surprise or pain, while caramba has an interesting etymology. It is believed to be a euphemism for carajo, which translates to “penis” (similar to how we might use “oh gosh” in English, but more vulgar). The word carajo originates from the Vulgar Latin term caraculum, meaning “little arrow”, based on a perceived visual resemblance. This is traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root ker, meaning “to cut”. Surprisingly, both Google NGrams and Google Trends indicate a significant increase in the usage of ay, caramba starting in 2012, long after the debut of The Simpsons in 1990.
