"Heavens to Murgatroyd!" is the characteristic catchphrase of Snagglepuss used to express disbelief or utter bewilderment in the vein of the similar American phrase "Heavens to Betsy!"
Prior to the 20th century, the name Murgatroyd was used in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta Ruddigore (1887), which has no less than ten baronets named Murgatroyd in the storyline.
Ultimately, the name goes back to 1371, when one Johanus de Morgateroyde was appointed constable for the district around Warley in Yorkshire, England; the name translates from Old English as "John of Moor Gate Royde," as in "the district leading to the moor."
Trivia[]
- Its origins are often said to go back to Snagglepuss' vocal inspiration Bert Lahr, who used the expression in his 1944 movie Meet the People for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, however, this "frequently repeated suggestion... is not correct." The contributor goes on to detail their viewing of the entire film in search of the phrase.[1]
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