'Gordon Bennet'?

Question

When people say Gordon Bennet what does it mean?

Answer 1

James Gordon Bennett, was a playboy whose rakish behaviour is thought to have inspired the expression,Gordon Bennett as an exclamation of disbelief.

Edit:The first answerer has changed his posting .He just put  / the first time. That is cheating mate.

Answer 2

its said when your shocked or suprised about something apart from that I dont know

Answer 3

Its a non sweary swear word, like saying, 'oh sugar' or something when you are annoyed.

Funnily enough, this was a very popular saying when I was young, but we had to be careful as there was actually a Gordon Bennet living in the neighbourhood!

Answer 4

I think it might be a polite way of saying "GOD BLIMMEY" - but not 100% sure. The initials fit, and I normally say it on 2 occasions.

1. When I feel knackered having just ran up 10 flights of stairs.

2. When I can't quite achieve my goal at work, say pushing cables through a ducting and it's annoying me that I can't do it.

Answer 5

When you ask them their name

Answer 6

Clive H said it all except that the air race was known as the Gordon Bennett Trophy.

Answer 7

people say gordon bennet is based on a character called james gordan bennet's lifestyle, (he was know for his outragious lifestyle) it is thought to be another version of gor blimey

Answer 8

The 1988 Guinness book of Records lists the "greatest faux pas" of all time as having been committed by James Gordon Bennett (a young multi-millionaire) at the home of his demure fiancee, Caroline May, in 5th Ave, NY city on 1st Jan 1877:-

" He arrived in a two horse cutter late and obviously in wine. By dint of intricate footwork he gained the portals to the withdrawing room where he was the cynosure of all eyes. He mistook the fireplace for a plumbing fixture more usually reserved for another purpose. The May family broke the engagement and Bennet, 1841-1918, was obliged to spend the rest of his foot-loose and fancy-free life based in Paris with the resultant non-collection of millions of tax dollars by the US Treasury".

That`s probably why the term "Gordon Bennett" is used in the way it is today!

Answer 9

Gordon Bennett (expression)

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Gordon Bennett! is an expression or exclamation common in some parts of Britain that connotes (often exasperated) surprise or shock. A typical usage, for instance, might be "Gordon Bennett! They've got my order wrong again." A comic-book character, Gordon Bennett, is based on the expression.

[edit] Possible origins of the term

According to Cassell's Dictionary of Word & Phrase Origins, the phrase is a euphemism for the blasphemous expression "Oh God!". A famous newspaperman James Gordon Bennett, Jr. is said to have originally inspired the particular form of this phrase.

Bennett — the son of James Gordon Bennett, senior — was a New York newspaper proprietor and playboy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries who became widely known in North America and Europe for his extravagant lifestyle and shocking behaviour. He has been described by the Dictionary of American Biography as having been "one of the most picturesque figures of two continents". For example, he arrived late and drunk at a party in the mansion of the family of his fiancée, socialite Caroline May, and then urinated into a fireplace in full view of his hosts. The engagement was broken off immediately, and the subsequent notoriety caused Bennett to move to France. This incident appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records under "Greatest Engagement Faux Pas." [1]

A variant of the newspaper-mogul story is given by Anglophile American writer Bill Bryson as follows:

James Gordon Bennett, a newspaper baron, liked to announce his arrival in a restaurant by yanking the tablecloths from all the tables he passed. He would then hand the manager a wad of cash with which to compensate his victims for their lost meals and spattered attire. Though long forgotten in his native land, Bennett and his exploits were once world famous, and indeed his name lives on in England in the cry, "Gordon Bennett!" [2]

[edit] In popular culture

Answer 10

how the bloody h**l do i know? Gordon bennet!!!

Answer 11

Here in UK, the phrase "Gordon Bennet" is used as a term of surprise/disbelief - here in London it is pronounced Gawd'n Benit.

James Gordon Bennet was an American Newspaper man.

Gordon Bennett - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gordon Bennett (character), a British comic book character; Gordon Bennett Cup,

several awards for cars, balloons, and schooners ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Benn... - Cached

James Gordon Bennett, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bennett's controversial reputation has been thought to have inspired the

phrase "Gordon Bennett" as an expression of incredulous disbelief, common in the ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gordo... - Cached

Gordon Bennett!

Gordon Bennett - meaning and origin of this phrase.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gordo...

World Wide Words: Gordon Bennett

The personal name Gordon has become attached to several expressions, of which

the best known is the British expletive 'Gordon Bennett'.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/g...

James Gordon Bennett, 1795–1872, American newspaper publisher ...

Bennett, James Gordon, 1795–1872, American newspaper proprietor, b. Keith, Scotland.

He came to America in 1819 and won a reputation as Washington ...

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A08... - Cached

James Gordon Bennett, 1841–1918, American newspaper publisher ...

Bennett, James Gordon, 1841–1918, American newspaper proprietor, b. New York

City; son of James Gordon Bennett. Educated mostly in France, ...

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A08...

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Dating back almost 100 years, the Gordon Bennett race is the premier gas balloon

... The race is named after James Gordon Bennett Jr., who founded the ...

http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Gas/Races/a...

James Gordon Bennett -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

Britannica online encyclopedia article on James Gordon Bennett: Scottish-born

American editor who shaped many of the methods of modern journalism.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-907... - Cached

James Gordon Bennett (American editor [1841-1918]) -- Britannica ...

New York Herald, Stanley, history of International Herald Tribune.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-60999... - Cached

James Gordon Bennett Biography - Biography.com

Learn about the life of James Gordon Bennett at Biography.com. Read Biographies,

watch interviews and videos.

http://www.biography.com/search/article.... - Cached

F1 News - Grandprix.com > GP Encyclopedia > People > James Gordon ...

Having assisted in the opening up of Africa, Gordon Bennett concentrated ...

Gordon Bennett died in 1918 but the air race was briefly revived in the 1920s. ...

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-benjam...

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

The 2005 Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett was arguably the most successful in

history... read ... The first woman to fly in the Gordon Bennett was Mme. ...

http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Gas/Races/g... - Cached

US People--Bennett, James Gordon, Jr. (1841-1918)

This page features our only view of newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett, Jr.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-...

Answer 12

As far as I can recall Gordon Bennet was an extremely wealthy businessman or landowner in 19th Century London.  He was very eccentric and his name became synonymous with odd behaviour and thus passed into local slang.