Oh my stars and garters! Appears to be a reference to the British Order of the Garter. This highest level of knighthood is represented by a medal in the shape of an 8-pointed star. The order was established in the 14th century, when garters were a part of male attire. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “My Stars and Garters!”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Lynn in Warren, Pennsylvania.
Hi, Lynn. Welcome to the program.
Thank you.
What’s up?
Well, I have always wondered about something my grandmother used to say when we were little.
We’d go to visit her, and if she was surprised or astonished, she would say, my stars and garters.
And I always wondered where such an expression came from.
This would be in response to what?
You showing her a trick that you’d learned or some joke that you told or a frog that you found?
No, just anything she would be surprised about.
Okay.
You know, if she was surprised or astonished, and I think actually she looked for an excuse to say it.
Oh, okay.
That’s kind of a favorite phrase of hers, then.
Yes, and actually years later, many years later, I had an elderly tenant that used to say the same thing.
-huh.
My stars and garters.
Oh, my stars and garters, Martha.
Well, there is a story behind this phrase, Lynn.
It goes back to something called the Order of the Garter, which is the highest order of English knighthood in England.
It was established in the mid-14th century, and this is at a time when garters were part of male attire.
And today, the Order of the Garter is this extremely exclusive group.
It only includes a very few people, the Sovereign of England, the Prince of Wales, and no more than two dozen others.
And most of them are politicians or high-ranking government officials.
And recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber was added to that group.
So it’s a very…
Oh, my word.
Oh, my stars and garters.
That’s as far from what my family was as you could get.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Well, if you were one of these exclusive few people who belonged to the Order of the Garter, then you get to wear a fancy medal that’s in the shape of a star.
And actually, if you look at Prince William or Prince Charles in their military regalia, you’ll see on the front, on their chest, you’ll see this eight-pointed star that’s part of all that.
And then by the early 18th century, the phrase stars and garters appeared as this collective reference to all these decorations and honors.
And also to the few people who hold them.
And stars and garters became this familiar phrase.
In fact, in England, a lot of pubs are named the star and garter.
And you said something like, oh, my word, right, just a second ago?
Yeah, that’s so far removed.
We were country bumpkins.
So far removed from anything that we would have known or were.
Well, Lynn, do you think you’ll pick it up now and start saying it on a regular basis?
Oh, maybe just to surprise people.
I don’t know.
Well, that’s all very interesting to know.
It’s far-fetched from anything I would have imagined.
We appreciate your time.
Thank you so much.
Take care of yourself.
Oh, thank you.
All right, be well.
All right, bye-bye.
You too, bye-bye.
Well, great, Scott, and my word, and my stars and garters, give us a call, 877-929-9673, or find all of our contact info at waywordradio.org/contact.
