Heavens to...

[Bob Fitzke]

Have been familiar with it since at least the 50s and, perhaps, earlier.

Bob from mid-Michigan

"Peter A. McGraw" wrote:
>
> One of our secretaries just asked me if I knew where the expression
> "Heavens to Murgatroyd" came from.  I hadn't a clue.  I guess I'd heard it
> before, but certainly not often.  DARE has only the more familiar "Heavens
> to Betsy," with "etym. unknown."
>
> Have others heard the Murgatroyd version?  Anybody have a clue where the
> construction comes from, even if DARE doesn't?  It sounds as if it ought to
> be a euphemism, but I can't think for what, and the "Heavens to..."
> construction is grammatically opaque to me.
>
> Peter Mc.
>
> ****************************************************************************
>                                Peter A. McGraw
>                    Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
>                             pmcgraw at linfield.edu