Gordon Bennett??

[warpig1]

I have heard this used as an exclamation, who is Gordon Bennett or where did it originate from? Also, flamin' Nora or sometimes bl00dy Nora, who or what is Nora?

Don't need an answer to the Gordon Bennett question as the search brought up the answer.

thanks warpig1

[Quizmonster]

The �Nora' is not a woman's name but a form of the word �horror'. The phrase started off as "flaming horror" (or "flipping/bloody horror") as a cry of dismay/disbelief. In the normal Cockney manner, the final �g' and the opening �h' were dropped to produce something that sounded like "flamin'-orror" and that in turn over the years became "Flamin' Nora!"...or "Bloody Nora!" as a stronger version.The �Nora' is not a woman's name but a form of the word �horror'. The phrase started off as "flaming horror" (or "flipping/bloody horror") as a cry of dismay/disbelief. In the normal Cockney manner, the final �g' and the opening �h' were dropped to produce something that sounded like "flamin'-orror" and that in turn over the years became "Flamin' Nora!"...or "Bloody Nora!" as a stronger version.

[Quizmonster]

Sorry about the duplication above. I've no idea how that happened!

[warpig1]

Flamin' nora Quizmonster I don't know how it happened either!

[jno]

I learn something from QM most days, and this is today's... Gordon Bennett as you've probably discovered, is just starting out to say 'God' then watering it down to something more polite. There's a Rue Gordon Bennett in Paris; I think he was a newspaper editor.

[warpig1]

as they say jno 'every day is a school day!'

[shammydodger]

jno

(James) Gordon Bennett was the publisher/editor of the New York Herald, the paper that sent Henry Morton Stanley to look for David Livingstone. Whether or not he had any connection to the "Gordon Bennett" of exclamatory fame, I have no idea.

[welshwil]

gordon bennett wa a newspaper editor in new york, whenever something major happened the headline would read 'gordon bennett' thats why we say it now when we hear some news