Came across this phrase, 'Heavens to Betsy', as not having a discoverable etymology.
My question for any German, Dutch, Gaelic languages, etc., speakers, does 'Heavens to Betsy' *sound* like anything from your language?
My first thought was something like 'Haben du bitte', but realize the grammar is wrong for modern German... and while 'Haben Sie bitte' is better grammar and brings in the 'Sie' sound, it should be after the 'bitte', as in 'bitte Sie' to sound like 'Betsy'. Was also thinking of the possibility of 'Helfen' as well, not that it makes any more grammatical sense.
So I am just curious if it sounds like anything in one of the early immigrant languages brought to America. I am imagining that an English speaker overheard it and repeated in a phonetic manner.
~thadeus
My question for any German, Dutch, Gaelic languages, etc., speakers, does 'Heavens to Betsy' *sound* like anything from your language?
My first thought was something like 'Haben du bitte', but realize the grammar is wrong for modern German... and while 'Haben Sie bitte' is better grammar and brings in the 'Sie' sound, it should be after the 'bitte', as in 'bitte Sie' to sound like 'Betsy'. Was also thinking of the possibility of 'Helfen' as well, not that it makes any more grammatical sense.
So I am just curious if it sounds like anything in one of the early immigrant languages brought to America. I am imagining that an English speaker overheard it and repeated in a phonetic manner.
~thadeus