Oh My Stars!

It’s day 5 of the April Arts Marathon!

Last year I made a friend who actually says, “Oh my stars!” and then says, “The full phrase is ‘Oh my stars and garters!’” I’m so tickled every time she says it. It’s so old fashioned, and corny, and sweet, and, I thought, mid-American riské. I bust out laughing because it catches me by surprise. Even when she says it in exasperation — I find it delightful! It completely shocks me into a smile from the frustrated place where I may have been heading.

Maybe it’s because this is what I’m thinking it means:

This lady is on a fainting couch doing the thing…

If you’ve seen me in the wild -you have likely seen me somewhat like this, tangled in my scarf and my backpack and coat somehow, with my socks falling down and my hat falling off of my head. It’s kind of how I roll, despite my best efforts. It’s probably why I think this phrase is so hilarious.

Yes, I’m stepping on my own shoelace.

It turns out the phrase has less to do with corn pone Americana than with the British military honors of stars and the Order of the Garter - whose motto is Honi soit qui mal y pense, meaning Shame on him who thinks of evil. It comes from coat of arms of St. George, the guy of dragon killing fame.

Stars and Crest of the Order of the Garter

Maybe I’m thinking of this phrase today because I feel a little exasperated, and nervous by the unfathomable war our country is in. Maybe it’s just a roundabout way of saying “Shame on him who thinks of evil.”

Am I trying to bring this phrase all the way back into style? Oh my Stars and Garters!