Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Another possibility is that the speaker ran two thoughts together and meant, "It's so cold! It's too cold to all get out".

I'm with you, Lee. I consider it a euphemism for hell in this case.

In my imagination (no research done on this) the "get out" was anticipating an interruption from the listener to avoid the foul word the speaker would otherwise use. Perhaps your mother, upon hearing you use the word hell, would say "Get out!" "Get out of here if you're going to use that kind of language." (I have actually heard an aunt or two use that response to a cousin's word choice.)

In that sense, using "get-out" as a replacement would be like the practice of substituting the word bleep for some questionable language when speaking. "Get the bleep out of here." (Actually using the word bleep.) This would suggest the censorship methods used in broadcast television with seven-second delay.

It is perhaps a form of self-editing or self-censorship that has taken on a life of its own. That would be my initial theory.

So how does one say get out and mean it literally? GIT!
But that's just so mean!