'everything's all Sir Garnet'

Posted by R. Berg on May 17, 2003

In Reply to: 'everything's all Sir Garnet' posted by John on May 17, 2003

: Hi All - first visit here and looked round for ages - will definitely come again !!.

: A niggling question I've had for ages is something my Grandfather said - now passed away. When something is alright or likely to be he would say 'everything's all Sir Garnet'. I've written this phonetically and don't know whether the way I've written it suggesting a person is right or not. I would be very grateful for any advice.

: Thanks in advance.

: John

It was an established catchphrase. From Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English:

"'Sir Garnet'; often 'all Sir Garnet'. All right: whether as predicate or as answer to a question: from ca. 1885. . . . In C. 20 often corrupted to '(all) sirgarneo'. Both forms were slightly ob. by 1915, very ob. by 1935. [From] 'Sir Garnet' (later Viscount) Wolseley's military fame. (Wolseley, 1833-1913, served actively and brilliantly from 1852 to 1885.)"