all my eye and Betty Martin
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all my eye and Betty Martin
- /ɔːl maɪ ˈaɪ ən(d)ˌbɛtɪ ˈmɑːtɪn/ UK
Where it comes from
In Britain during the 1700s, the phrase was a common claim of dismissal (similar to 'nonsense', or 'hogwash'), or a way to declare disbelief of an absurdity. It possibly originated as the punch line of a joke (though this is likely a folk etymology). Most variations of the joke involve a British sailor visiting Italy. He overhears a Latin prayer, "Ah! [Da] mihi, beate Martine" (which translates to "Ah! Grant to me, blessed Martin", referring to St. Martin). The sailor mishears the prayer, and later uses the phrase as "All my eye and Betty Martin".
noun
-
rubbish, humbug
1881 Thomas Bastard, The Autobiography of Cockney Tom, at Project Gutenberg Australia
All my eye and Betty Martin, thought I, I will have no more truck with you.
Similar: all my eye
Talk about this word "all my eye and Betty Martin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/all%20my%20eye%20and%20betty%20martin. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. all my eye and Betty Martin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/all%20my%20eye%20and%20betty%20martin "all my eye and Betty Martin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/all%20my%20eye%20and%20betty%20martin.Cite this
@misc{all_my_eye_and_betty_martin_2026,
title = {all my eye and Betty Martin},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/all%20my%20eye%20and%20betty%20martin},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
