Phrase guide

oh, my stars and garters

intj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

intj

Meaning 1

Expression of astonishment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Attested (in the figurative sense) since before 1763 (see James Otis' 1763 pamphlet, The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved: "These representations of us, many of the good people of England swallow with as much ease, as they would a bottle-bubble, or any other story of a cock and a bull; and the worst of it is, among some of the most credulous, have been found Stars and Garters."). For the stars, see oh my stars. The garters refer to a heraldic order (in a stellar shape) that British monarchs could bestow. Together they were used as a name for the trappings of high office or the individuals who occupied such.