Okay, "heavens to Betsy", a mild exclamatory phrase, followed by "heavens to Murgatroyd" appear to be both Americanisms.
Are there any equivalent ever-so-British exclamations, old fashioned and straight laced?Creature remembers Heavens to Murgatroyd from Snagglepuss, and this quite interesting about it.
And of course Mrs Murgatroyd kept Ye Olde Tea Shoppe as set out here:-
it is the Duty of a Mad Old Biddy to keep a Tea-Shoppe, wherein the other Old Biddies take refreshment. There they do sit, eating salmon and cucumber sandwiches and drinking tea, or coffee sometimes. One will say - Eigh say, Clarissa, eigh do declare that Mrs Murgatroyd's salmon and cucumber sandwiches are absolutely divine! And Clarissa reply Yeth, Ermyntrude, and her rock cakes are wonderfully scwumptious! Just then, Clarissa squeal in pain, she have just broken a tooth on the lead shot wot have been taken out of the dead pheasants and been tipped into Mrs Murgatroyd's rock cake mixture; the Portuguese au pair, the lovely Conchita, thought it was all to be thrown away. So Mrs Murgatroyd have some explaining to do with the Environmental Health people and also the DSS because Conchita have no National Insurance number and Mrs Murgatroyd have tricked her into thinking she an illegal immigrant with no rights! Meanwhile the village dentist give Conchita a fiver later, trade have never been so good, lots of broken teeth off the rock cakes.
Do we have such catch-phrases in England? A lot of them were off popular radio and television series, but you had to wait for them in context.
'You stupid boy.' 'Can I do you now, Sir?' 'How tickled I am..............' 'I wanna tell you a story'
And Welsh SUBLs supposed to say 'indeed to goodness' every 5 seconds, but they don't say it..............ever...........I suspect Clarissa and Ermintrude of knowing How To Be Topp or possibly recollecting the far off days of being Back In The Jug Agane.
Asy, what is the social status of the speaker? Depending on how upper-crust or otherwise their accent is, they might just say (with suitable emphasis) mild-mannered things like "Well I say" or "Goodness!" "I say, steady on!" "Well I'll be dashed". Old-fashioned and strait-laced pretty much rules out "bugger me sideways", I suppose ...
I suspect Clarissa and Ermintrude of knowing How To Be Topp
So that why my thoughts end up this way in print! Creature says he has not read about Molesworth for years but clearly the memory has lingered.
I shall have to speak to him.
Wergh.Ah, the hallowed halls of St. Custard's ... such fond memories! Thanks for the terrific replies. I've been watching vintage 1938 films to get into the right mind set, so I really ought to say
"Gee, that's swell!"
MidgeKitty: We did travel in Wales recently and I don't think anyone said "indeed to goodness", not even once. I'm sure I would have been intrigued to hear it. I loved the tea shoppe scenario. Ha!
Helio: [Asy pounces on "I'll be dashed!" I'd forgotten that one.] And hurray for St Custard's. Crazed Atomick fan here.
The particular character I'm currently writing is an old officer during WWII. He mostly curbs his speech, because of his command post and being surrounded by youngsters; however, I may allow him to let rip with "bugger me sideways" under extreme circumstances. The only proviso is that it mustn't be an anachronism [would an old timer have said it in 1944?] I hate the way Holywood movies have their WWII soldiers say "f*&k' every third sentence. It's not the way my parents remember things, and they were there.No, maybe better not have any bugger-me-sidways then! I was only kidding about the strait-laced bit really, and don't know if it works for that period of history.
But "damn your eyes" or "damn your eyes, sir!" would be good for a moment of strong emotion, I think, as long as he's addressing some villain of course. He might, if moved and amazed, say "well I'll be damned" instead of the euphemism dashed, or perhaps "damn me". Not sure about this, but I think "hell's teeth" might work - second opinion needed!
I'll pop back if I think of any good 'uns. Hell's teeth, eh? I know my mom and dad said "hell's bells" way back when.
Keep thinking and reporting.
When I finish the story, maybe you can Britique it for me? That is, any of the HardFacts crue, or all yous-guys.
or possibly recollecting the far off days of being Back In The Jug Agane.
