Who or what is murgatroid?

Question:as in "heavens to murgatroid"

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: as in "heavens to murgatroid"

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Though most people have heard the expression today because of the cartoon character 'Snagglepuss' using it, it actually comes from much, much earlier.

The voice and some of the expressions of Snagglepuss were meant to imitate those of Bert Lahr, the actor who played the 'Cowardly Lion' in the "Wizard of Oz". He used that expression in the 1944 film "Meet the People"... predating Snagglepuss by a decade or two.

The writer who gave Lahr that line may have gotten the name from a comic 1887 Gilbert and Sullivan play called "Ruddigore". In that play the whole Murgatroyd family has a curse laid upon them requiring them to steal daily or suffer a horrible fate. This would seem to be a good explanation for the association of the name with misfortune.

Gilbert and Sullivan probably just used the name because it sounded funny, in much the same way that comics still use Walla Walla, Cucamonga, or Titicaca. As a family name it was invented in 1371 by an English aristocrat (another reason to make fun of the name, perhaps) to commemorate the region he was given charge of. Back then, it was 'Moor Gate Royde', literally meaning 'the district leading to the moor'.

Hope that helps!

I can't imagine,but my grandmother used to say it all the time.And many other odd sayings as well.Like,"For the love of Mary Ann."Who is Mary Ann,and why do we love her?"Ye Gods and little fishes",I could go on and on...