goodness gracious

Related to goodness gracious: Goodness Gracious Me

goodness gracious

A mild exclamation of surprise, alarm, dismay, annoyance, or exasperation. Goodness gracious, look at the time! How is it nearly midnight already? Goodness gracious, Bill, would it kill you to take out the trash once in a while? Goodness gracious, that cyclist nearly hit me!
See also: goodness, gracious
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

goodness gracious

Also, good gracious; gracious sakes. Exclamation of surprise, dismay, or alarm, as in Goodness gracious! You've forgotten your ticket. Both goodness and gracious originally alluded to the good (or grace) of God, but these colloquial expressions, which date from the 1700s, are not considered either vulgar or blasphemous.
See also: goodness, gracious
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • goodness me
  • my goodness me
  • goodness gracious me
  • goodness!
  • my goodness
  • (my) goodness
  • oh my goodness gracious
  • for goodness' sake
  • goodness
  • to goodness
References in periodicals archive
Next up is a starring role in the film of Meera Syal's novel Anita & Me and a possible final series of Goodness Gracious Me.
"I was staggered when Goodness Gracious Me ended," Nina adds.
The star of Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At No 42, retraces her roots in Wolverhampton and Walsall for the programme and talks to her parents and co-stars who have helped her on the road to success.
Nina's career kick-started with cult show Goodness Gracious Me, after six years of hard slog.
Humour and songs interplayed throughout the near-three hour show with the cast of Goodness Gracious Me giving way to one of several late additions, Elvis Costello.
So why not remember what life was like before The Fast Show, Harry Enfield and Goodness Gracious Me.
The programme, called Chopra Town, will see the Goodness Gracious Me star joining the ranks of Morse, Taggart, Lynley and, er, Juliet Bravo.
Reasons to be happy: After the cult success of Goodness Gracious Me, Bhaskar is currently revelling in his very own spoof chat-show, The Kumars at No 42, in which his attempts to be a smooth and trendy host is continually scuppered by the presence of his on-screen ``family''.
The entire cast of BBC's Goodness Gracious Me are also along and, if that isn't enough to tempt you, then there is music from Tom Jones and the Stereophonics.
Members of the hit television comedy programme Goodness Gracious Me last night scooped major awards at a Birmingham ceremony celebrating the achievements of the Asian community.
Asian comedy Goodness Gracious Me made the transition from radio to TV and now it's the turn of Chewin' The Fat.
The Goodness Gracious Me star will play DCI Anita Wishart in the tough police drama - a spin-off from The Bill.
I hope we haven't seen the last of Goodness Gracious Me, a programme that initially left me feeling faintly uncomfortable as I laughed at its send-up of Asian stereotypes.
BBC2's Goodness Gracious Me took the award for Best TV entertainment production.
Famous names from the arts to hail from Walsall include Jerome K Jerome, who wrote Three Men in a Boat, pop group Slade's Noddy Holder, Goodness Gracious Me's TV star Meera Syal and actors Frank Windsor from Z Cars and Carry On star Richard Wattis.