What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Godfrey Daniel’?
Godfrey Daniel is a minced oath - much favoured by W.C.Fields. He used the expression as an exclamation, as other might have used Gordon Bennett!.
The expression was first used in England in the 19th century, as in this example from the Leicester Chronicle, December 1882:
“Godfrey Daniel, Gustavus Dor, Jeremiah Mollymuckatostway, I’ve found out a way to catch the thief,” said Ratcatcher.
The Fatal Glass of Beer, 1932.