{"id":993,"date":"2022-03-06T18:16:12","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T18:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=993"},"modified":"2022-03-06T18:16:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T18:16:24","slug":"heavens-to-murgatroyd-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/heavens-to-murgatroyd-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavens to Murgatroyd - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"
Did your grandma just say \"heavens to Murgatroyd<\/em>\" after she saw you for the first time in months? What does she mean? This post unpacks everything you need to know about this idiomatic expression's meaning, origin, and use.<\/p>\n Picture the scene. You're walking to the corner store when you hear gunfire and see two armed criminals race out of the entrance to the shop and into a getaway vehicle before speeding away from the scene of the crime.<\/p>\n The adrenaline and intensity of the situation come as a shock to you, causing a verbal reaction from you. So, what do you say? \"Heaven's to Murgatroyd<\/em>\" would be an appropriate idiomatic expression to fit the current situation.<\/p>\n Heaven's to Murgatroyd has a similar meaning to \"oh my God,\"<\/em> but it's more kid-friendly and less offensive to people that might have a problem with blasphemy. When you're using \"heaven's to Murgatroyd\" in conversation, you're referring to news or events that take you by surprise.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, there are various ways to use this term to provide a genuine or sarcastic response to someone or something. For instance, if someone tells you some underwhelming news, you could respond with \"heaven's to Murgatroyd<\/em>\u201d using an underwhelming tone to your voice.<\/p>\n \"I lined up the shot on the 18th hole, took my swing, and heaven's to Murgatroyd,<\/em> I cupped a hole-in-one.\"<\/p>\n \"Did you see how that building went up in flames so fast? Heaven's to Murgatroyd; I hope the people inside are okay.\"<\/p>\n \"Brady goes for the hail Mary in a last-ditch attempt to win the game. Heaven's to Murgatroyd,<\/em> what a throw and what a catch, the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl!\"<\/p>\n \"Heaven's to Murgatroyd<\/em>; I never expected Clarissa to behave like that in front of strangers.\"<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The origin of the idiomatic phrase, \"heaven's to Murgatroyd,\" traces back to the popular TV show, \"Snagglepuss<\/em>.\" This Hanna-Barbara cartoon from the late 50s featured a pink-panther-Esque<\/em> character with actor Bert Lahr playing the voice of Snagglepuss <\/em>in the series.<\/p>\n During the show, the character would use \"Heaven's to Murgatroyd<\/em>\" in place of other common phrases at the time, such as \"heavens to Betsy<\/em>.\" The term also has a similar meaning to \"holy cow<\/em>.\" While Snagglepuss<\/em> popularized the phrase, it wasn't its originator.<\/p>\n The phrase first appears in the 1944 movie \"Meet the People<\/em>.\" One of the characters in the film, played by Bert Lahr<\/em>, would use the term in the picture long before using it on Snagglepuss<\/em>.<\/p>\n Murgatroyd<\/em> is an old English surname with aristocratic heritage. The name translates to \"the district leading to the moor,\" with several characters in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, \"Ruddigore<\/em>,\" using the name Murgatroyd<\/em>.<\/p>\nMeaning<\/h2>\n
Example Usage<\/h2>\n
Origin<\/h2>\n