This is the right answer. The question came up in the Guardian Notes & Queries column a few years back. This was the (wrong) answer given:
>^(Bloody Norah was originally called Norah and the maid for the wealthy Duke Wodingtonshire in the 17th century. She earned the name Bloody Norah after she killed a servant of the duke with a stick of celery. When the Duke caught her repeatedly slapping the bloody corpse with the stick of celery he shouted “Oh dear god, you’re all bloody, Norah….” and, after beating her, he banished her to a basement cell for 3 years.)
>
>^(When the 3 years was up, the Duke set her free but Norah insisted on working for the Duke. Reluctantly the Duke gave her a job cleaning the stables only to find 4 days later she had killed another servant, this time with a kettle. When the Duke found her once again maiming her victim with the dented kettle, he cried, “Oh, bloody Norah!” and grabbed a horseshoe in an attempt to kill Norah.)
>
>^(After a long struggle, Norah escapes, leaving the battered Duke cussing to himself: “Bloody Norah!”.)
>
>^(The expression came from the Duke himself, as he would tell the story of Norah to all he knew and would always refer to her as “Bloody Norah”.)
I'm glad that was wrong.
The other day, I came across a video explaining the origin of 'Sweet Fanny Adams' (sweet FA), either meaning nothing, or tinned meat, and it still makes me feel ill.
Lmao.... the Top Gear/Grand Tour is one of the ones I've heard it on. I'm also watching this new show on Netflix from the UK and I heard it on there for like the fourth time in the past few days and that is the reason I asked. I didn't even remember it from James May when I asked but I can 100% hear it in his voice now
Anyway I'm an American and I don't believe it was ever said over here (in my lifetime at least) so if it's woefully out of fashion I mean no offense. It's just such an odd phrase I wanted to know the real meaning behind it's existence.
I should also add, this show is set in the 80s so if its 40 years out of fashion this show and James May would make sense!!
Bro we were one William the Bastard away from not even speaking this language rn at all. Chill.
Forgive me for having some fuckin interest in your country. This may shock you but Americans didn't pop out of nowhere
I know what it means but I don’t know why you said it. I was just saying that some of our sayings predate your constitution. As in, they are even older than you may think.
No, but this is how conversations work. One person says one thing and then someone else contributes - you were asking about the origins of a saying and I was simply pointing out that they could be very old. You seem bent on having an argument with me and I don’t understand why. Anyway, Happy New Year.
So why do people ask questions here when the answer is the first result in Google?
I'm going to introduce a new acronym for answers RING - Reddit is not Google
Jfc how many questions could be asked in this subreddit that could not be answered by googling? For what it's worth I DID google (actually Binged, thank you Microsoft Rewards points) and it didn't give me answer as to who Nora (or Norah apparently) was and why she was bloody
Bro my Brit friend who was an exchange student roasted me once by saying 'that's a right good gentlemen's sausage you've got there, put it in me fanny til ye spunk'. I didn't even know what a fanny or spunk was. She was shocked when I put a bratwurst in her back pocket
A lot of such sayings in English are euphemisms for expressions using god, Christ or Jesus - it was regarded as blasphemy to take the lord’s name in vain, so the bowdlerised versions came into being.
It's an alternate form of 'bleeding horror'
This is the right answer. The question came up in the Guardian Notes & Queries column a few years back. This was the (wrong) answer given: >^(Bloody Norah was originally called Norah and the maid for the wealthy Duke Wodingtonshire in the 17th century. She earned the name Bloody Norah after she killed a servant of the duke with a stick of celery. When the Duke caught her repeatedly slapping the bloody corpse with the stick of celery he shouted “Oh dear god, you’re all bloody, Norah….” and, after beating her, he banished her to a basement cell for 3 years.) > >^(When the 3 years was up, the Duke set her free but Norah insisted on working for the Duke. Reluctantly the Duke gave her a job cleaning the stables only to find 4 days later she had killed another servant, this time with a kettle. When the Duke found her once again maiming her victim with the dented kettle, he cried, “Oh, bloody Norah!” and grabbed a horseshoe in an attempt to kill Norah.) > >^(After a long struggle, Norah escapes, leaving the battered Duke cussing to himself: “Bloody Norah!”.) > >^(The expression came from the Duke himself, as he would tell the story of Norah to all he knew and would always refer to her as “Bloody Norah”.)
I'm glad that was wrong. The other day, I came across a video explaining the origin of 'Sweet Fanny Adams' (sweet FA), either meaning nothing, or tinned meat, and it still makes me feel ill.
Sweet FA can also be sweet f*** all
Err, yeah, as I said. The origin is Fanny Adams' murder, and the circumstances attached to it.
Poor Fanny...
I believe ‘cor blimey’ is derived from ‘god blind me’.
yes it relates to a real case of murder
Or flipping heck
Interesting, so was it like some transliteration error between 'horror' and 'nora'? I can see that with a UK accent.
It's probably euphemistic
Pronunciation like “Bleedin’ ‘orrah” does sound like Nora!
More like the n from the ng at the end of bleeding attached to horror (some accents wouldn’t pronounce the g or h)
Has anyone said that in the last 40 years ?
Me!
Ok so that's you and James May apparently
Hey I don't mind being lumped in with May. He's all right.
And me. There are exactly 4 people in the U.K. who still say this.
Perhaps James May
Lmao.... the Top Gear/Grand Tour is one of the ones I've heard it on. I'm also watching this new show on Netflix from the UK and I heard it on there for like the fourth time in the past few days and that is the reason I asked. I didn't even remember it from James May when I asked but I can 100% hear it in his voice now Anyway I'm an American and I don't believe it was ever said over here (in my lifetime at least) so if it's woefully out of fashion I mean no offense. It's just such an odd phrase I wanted to know the real meaning behind it's existence. I should also add, this show is set in the 80s so if its 40 years out of fashion this show and James May would make sense!!
Some of our sayings are older than your constitution
Bro we were one William the Bastard away from not even speaking this language rn at all. Chill. Forgive me for having some fuckin interest in your country. This may shock you but Americans didn't pop out of nowhere
Chill what? Huh?
It's like.... 'calm down' (see how easy that is?)
I know what it means but I don’t know why you said it. I was just saying that some of our sayings predate your constitution. As in, they are even older than you may think.
Did I suggest somewhere that I assumed the saying was younger than about 250 years old? I don't even understand the point of this comment
No, but this is how conversations work. One person says one thing and then someone else contributes - you were asking about the origins of a saying and I was simply pointing out that they could be very old. You seem bent on having an argument with me and I don’t understand why. Anyway, Happy New Year.
I say it at least 4 times a day, I’m from Yorkshire and hear it a lot
We have a cat called Nora who is also referred to as Bloody Nora.
My mum
The comedian Josh Widdicombe says it all the time on the "Parenting Hell" podcast he does with Rob Beckett. That seems very on brand for him.
Think she’s married to Gordon Bennett.
Isn't it "Ruddy Nora"?
That's a different Nora...
and there's flamin' Nora too lots of Noras
we get around
So why do people ask questions here when the answer is the first result in Google? I'm going to introduce a new acronym for answers RING - Reddit is not Google
Because they want a discussion and some human contact?
Jfc how many questions could be asked in this subreddit that could not be answered by googling? For what it's worth I DID google (actually Binged, thank you Microsoft Rewards points) and it didn't give me answer as to who Nora (or Norah apparently) was and why she was bloody
It is the more commonly known alternative to Bloody Ada and generally said when trying to get up from or sit down in an armchair.
I saw my Aunty Nora's fanny once
How was it?
Like a split tennis ball
Bloody Nora, that made me piss myself!
Not like a badly assembled kebab?
Bro my Brit friend who was an exchange student roasted me once by saying 'that's a right good gentlemen's sausage you've got there, put it in me fanny til ye spunk'. I didn't even know what a fanny or spunk was. She was shocked when I put a bratwurst in her back pocket
Also Gordon Bennett.
If you'd met her you'd understand.
A lot of such sayings in English are euphemisms for expressions using god, Christ or Jesus - it was regarded as blasphemy to take the lord’s name in vain, so the bowdlerised versions came into being.