Meaning & use
good gravy
Last updated
UK/ˌɡʊd ˈɡreɪvi/
US/ˌɡʊd ˈɡreɪvi/
Meaning
interjectionfixed phraseinformalold-fashionedhumorous
A mild exclamation showing surprise, annoyance or disbelief.
Grammar: Stands alone as an exclamation, often at the start of a sentence.
Patterns
- Good gravy!
- Good gravy, what is that?
Good gravy, look at the size of that bill!
Good gravy, I forgot my keys again.
Good gravy! Who left the oven on all night?
Common combinations
- Good gravy, what
- Good gravy, what a mess!
- Good gravy, it's
- Good gravy, it's already midnight.
- Oh, good gravy
- Oh, good gravy, not again.
- Good gravy, look
- Good gravy, look at that line.
Synonyms and how they differ
- good grief
- Good grief is the closest and more widely used, and also expresses mild dismay.
- goodness
- Goodness is gentler and fits both pleasant and unpleasant surprises.
- my goodness
- My goodness is a bit more neutral and can show surprise without annoyance.
- holy cow
- Holy cow is more excited and informal, usually showing amazement.
Word family
Commonly confused: good gravy or gravy train?
good gravy vs gravy train
A gravy train is an easy way to make money, which is not an exclamation.
Practice
'Good gravy, is that the time?' What does the speaker show?
Choose one answer.
Good gravy is a mild exclamation of surprise. Despite gravy being food, the phrase does not mean hunger or praise for food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “good gravy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.