holy...! excl.
used in various oaths, usu. in conjunction with a euph. for God or Jesus; popularized in non-religious uses by the 1960s Batman TV series, when Robin, the superhero’s sidekick, created a wide variety of excls. on the model of ‘holy [n. pl.], Batman!’.
In exclamations
see under balls! excl.
see holy hell!
a mild excl.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Pitcher in Paradise 235: Holy bones! there are a lot of names there that would look dashed well on the back of a bill-stamp! |
a mild excl.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | (con. 1899) Roving and Fighting 23: ‘Holy cat-fish!’ exclaimed the amazed Trice. | |
| ‘Mr Clacksworthy Tells the Truth’ Detective Story 19 Oct. 🌐 Holy blue-eyed catfish! | |
| ‘The Deadly Orchid’ in Goodstone Pulps (1970) 104/1: ‘Holy catfish!’ I gasped. | |
| Wives & Lovers (2016) 171: ‘Holy catfish!’. |
a mild excl. of surprise, dismay, alarm.
| Shorty McCabe 207: ‘Holy cats!’ says he. ‘Honest, professor, I didn’t mean a word of it.’. | |
| Bar-20 Days 186: Holy Cats! A log must ’a’ got jammed in the sluice-gate up there. | |
| ‘“Butterfly” Boggs: Pitcher’ in Lucky Seventh (2004) 250: Holy cats! [...] It’s Boggs! | |
| Nottingham Eve. Post 27 June 8/4: Holy cats, woman, don’t you see that lorry! | |
 | Pittsburgh Sun-Teleg. (PA) 14 July 58/3: ‘Holy cats — some rocks!’. | |
| Sudden Takes the Trail 234: ‘Holy cats!’ he panted, as he grabbed a saving spur of stone. | |
| Wives & Lovers (2016) 177: ‘The doctor thinks maybe I’ll have twins.’ ‘Holy cats!’’. | |
| (con. 1940s) Do Not Go Gentle (1962) 238: Holy cats! Imagine that! | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | ‘Lock-Out’ in Chatfield & Williamson Aus. Stories 90: ‘Holy cats!’ he ejaculated. | |
| Twitter 23 Mar. 🌐 Holy cats! |
see Christ! excl.
see Christmas! excl.
(orig. US) an excl. of surprise or disappointment; note ext. in cit. 1971.
| Chicago Daily Trib. 8 Nov. 6: Holy Cow! WHY can’t they print ’em right? | |
| Brain Guy (1937) 74: Holy cow! where’s your whiskey? | |
| N.Y. Times 8 July 15: The first test pilots to try her out landed, stepped out in amazement and said, ‘Holy cow, she’s a pursuit ship!’. | |
| Naked and Dead 618: A nun, holy cow [...] A nun! | |
| Dud Avocado (1960) 43: ‘Why? Oh, Holy Cow!’ I groaned. | |
| Two Faces of January (1988) 121: He gave a laugh, a sad one. ‘Holy cow.’. | |
| (con. 1920s) South of Heaven (1994) 59: Holy cow! [...] That must have given you a jolt. | |
| Listening to America 279: Holy-cow-in-the-manger, you’da thought Earl Warren himself had thrown the book at ’em. | |
| Good As Gold (1979) 201: Holy cow! Ron, Ron would you mind repeating that one for the mike. | |
| Midnight Clear 66: Holy cow, you guys scared the snot out of me. | |
| If... 26 Mar. in If Files (1997) 140: Everyone shouts ‘Holy Cow! It’s the President’s penis!!’. | |
| Guardian Editor 17 Mar. 19: Holy cow! I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley. |
(US) a general excl. of amazement, surprise, annoyance etc.
| ‘The Rubber Salesman’ [comic strip] in Tijuana Bibles (1997) 50: Holy crap [...] She’s gone nuts. | |
| People Mag. 17 Oct. 🌐 ‘Look! There’s Denzel Washington,’ marveled Daly. ‘Holy crap! Isn’t he good looking? Wow!’. | |
| Nature Girl 82: Holy crap. Is it fatal? | |
| Guardian 21 Aug. 24: [cartoon caption[ Holy Crap! It’s a walrus of monstrous dimensions! |
a general excl. of surprise, alarm etc.
| Pittsburgh Sun-Teleg. (PA) 14 July 58/3: Holy cripes!’ thought Mike, as his bloodshot little rat eyes caught a glimpse of [the] diamond necklace’. | |
| Low Company 74: ‘Holy cripes,’ Shorty said. | |
| Sundowners 208: ‘Holy cripes,’ Ocker Shand said. | |
| Mercury News 1 Oct. 🌐 ‘The biggest shock for me was I didn’t see him for a couple of years,’ West said. ‘When I did, I said, “Holy cripes! What happened to this kid?”’. |
(US) a phr. of amazement, surprise.
| Glover 141: Holy crow, all her troubles. | |
| Stand (1990) 20: Holy Crow! You sure? [Ibid.] 1063: ‘Holy Crow,’ Ralph said. | |
| Christine 533: Holy crow! I bet they ain’t there anymore. | |
| It (1987) 924: ‘Jeezum-crow,’ Ben said. | |
| Anchorage Daily News 1 Oct. 🌐 The bad news is that almost all of the experienced moderate Republican leaders are gone. There’s a chance Pete Kott will end up as House speaker. Holy crow. |
(US) excl. of surprise.
| Henrietta Lacks 290: ‘Holy cuss!’ she yelled, ‘is it raining out there?’. |
(Aus.) a general expression of surprise.
| Aus. Slanguage. | |
| ‘Aus. Sl.’ at www.koalanet.com.au 🌐 Holy dooley! : an exclamation of surprise = ‘Good heavens!’, ‘My goodness!’ ‘Good grief!’ or similar. | |
| Captive Moon 286: Holy dooley! That drug is bloody is amazing! Could it help Margo heal? |
see holy hell!
(Aus./Irish) a mild oath.
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Ballygullion (1927) 31: ‘I’ll tache her! I’ll not run afther her, not if she was “my lady.” Be the holy fly,’ sez he, pushin’ past me. | |
| Ballygullion 33: Be the holy fly [...] I’ll ask the first woman I meet! | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Dec. 44/2: ‘Holy Flyback!!’ he added with conviction, ‘that blamed wired was HOT.’ [Ibid.] 48/3: ‘Holy Fly!’ ejaculated Hopley, with vehement faintness. | |
| Dream of Fair to Middling Women (1993) 71: By the holy fly I wouldn’t recommend you to ask me what class of a tree they were under when he put his hand on her and enjoyed that. |
(Aus.) a general oath.
| Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1862) 217: ‘By the holy frost, then!’ says Paddy. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 9 May 5/4: It didn’t take him long to find out what was wrong. He prized open the case with his ‘dover,’ and his eye glittered with the light of triumph as he exclaimed, ‘Holy Frost, if there aint a horsehair got twisted up in it! And, my oath, it’s stuck pretty tight too’. | |
| Truth (Brisbane) 10 Apr. 5/3: This [advertisement] knocked Richard bandy. ‘Holy frost,’ he murmured, ‘can it be true?’ . |
1. (orig. US) a general excl. used to express surprise, astonishment; thus joc. euph. holy fornicate!
| Semi-Tough 52: ‘Goddamn holy fornicate Christmas bundle of fried chicken!" Elroy hollered. | |
| Suicide Hill 33: On one side of the lawn a plastic Saint Francis stood guard over a flock of Walt Disney squeeze toys [...] ‘Holy fuck,’ he whispered. | |
| (con. early 1950s) L.A. Confidential 110: Holy shit fuck. | |
| Dark Spectre (1996) 29: ‘Holy fuck!’ said Greg. | |
| Port Authority 14: Holy fuck. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Gutted 6: Holy shit [...] holy mothering fuck. | |
| Last Whisper in the Dark 261: Holy fuck, I thought. | |
| Straight Dope [ebook] And I’m like holy fuck. |
2. (US) used attrib. to imply remarkableness.
| Finders Keepers (2016) 115: Miss Todd (not exactly fair of face but with a holy-shit body). |
(US) a general excl. used to express surprise, astonishment.
| I Am Jennie [ebook] Holy fuckballs—strangers?! But... how... Really? | |
| Rough Trade [ebook] ‘One…two…HOLY FUCKBALLS!’ Furious barking erupted from the back door of the house. |
a mild excl. of surprise, dismay, alarm.
| Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (2001) 20: Hully gee! Dey makes me tired. | |
| in N.Y. Press Nov. in Stallman (1966) 103: Hully chee! Everything’s dumped. | |
| in N.Y. Press 22 Apr. in Stallman (1966) 39: Hully Jee dis is a new breed. | |
| Dly Public Ledger (Maysville, KY) 8 Apr. 1/2: Holy G! Murder in Irish! Suffering Henry! Great Kilkenny cats! | |
| (H.E. Hamblen) On Many Seas 285: Hully Gee! How did yes fellers git in there? | |
| Chimmie Fadden 9: Say, did you ever drink dat stuff, champagne? Holy gee, it’s rank! | |
| World of Graft 73: Hully gee, no! | |
| People You Know 89: ‘Hully Chee!’ exclaimed the Artist. ‘He’s Croaked.’. | |
| Susan Lenox II 119: ‘Holy Gee!’ cried Susan’s new acquaintance. | |
| ‘Daffydills’ in Atlanta Constitution (GA) 6 Oct. 10: Hully gee Rummy, I didn’t think you was this sick. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Aug. 32/2: America’s goin’ t’ know how Australia’s treated me, and, by the hully gee, when America knows that, she’s goin’ t’ stand by Australia. | |
| Ballads of the Regiment 34: Toe the mark and ‘Hully Gee!’. | |
| Ulysses 507: Holy ginger, it’s kicking and coughing up and down in her guts already! | |
| Banjo 184: ‘Holy Gees!’ cried Kid Irish. | |
| in Marschall That Old Gang o’ Mine (1984) 149: Hully gee, boss. | |
| Call It Sleep (1977) 317: Holy Chee! No wonner guineas c’n fart wit’ gollic bombs! | |
| Rhubarb 182: Holy Jeez! It’s a wonder to me you don’t get arrested. | |
| Mad mag. Aug.–Sept. 13: Hully chee! I wonder what he brought back with him. | |
| Young Wolves 27: Holy gee! Some business man you are. | |
| (con. c.1920) Early Havoc 67: Holy gee, I’m as gay as can be. | |
| Stand (1990) 158: Holy gee, Poke! |
an excl. of astonishment.
| Galveston Dly News (TX) 20 May 14/2: Great Caesar’s armpit! Sweet suffering catfish! Holy gamoley! [...] I have have seen the cathedrals of commerce. | |
| Guardian Rev. 17 June 3/1: Holy guacamole this guy had a crystal ball! He predicted everything [...] Guy’s a freaking genius. |
(US) an excl. of astonishment.
| Affairs of Gidget 31: Holy hailstones! And I thought my old man was a libertine. |
a mild excl. of surprise, dismay, alarm.
| Dollar Newspaper 10 June 3/2: In I went, one leg, but — holy Egypt! out I cum again, howling! [DA]. | |
| Our Boys 301: Holy horror! | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 18 Dec. 9/1: ‘Holy snakes!’ cried the tall divine as he skipped briskly off, ‘I’d better clear from this’. | |
| Whitstable Times 28 Mar. 3/1: Holy snakes! [...] why do you keep all these pigs. | |
| Ballygullion 199: Holy Biddy, is the house afire! | |
| (con. 1900s) Oppidan 58: ‘Holy Jack the Ripper,’ he exploded. ‘Does he think he’s coxing the Monarch?’. | |
| Secret Adversary (1955) 140: ‘Holy snakes!’ he ejaculated. ‘is this really you?’. | |
| Nottingham Eve. Post 2 Oct. 1/6: Holy snakes! ‘Reptilian Wonders’ Arrive. | |
| Brain Guy (1937) 61: Holy hell, Christmas right round the corner. | |
| Third Policeman (1974) 49: Well, by the holy Hokey! | |
| They Dug a Hole 39: What’s the word in French for walk? Holy J., we’ll have to be after making signs. | |
| Down These Mean Streets (1970) 86: Holy hell, you tore up the ground running. | |
| ‘PIN’ in ThugLit July-Aug. [ebook] The [ATM} machine spits out 45 Andrew Jacksons and I’m like, holy hell. |
(Irish) a general excl.
| Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 153: Holy James’s Street and Jacobs, Mickey Mouse sure caused a fair bit of excitement in those far-off days. | |
| From These Green Heights 10: Holy James Street, but it’s warm. Do the Corporation ever turn the heat off? |
see separate entry.
a general excl.
| Cappy Ricks 186: ‘Holy jumped-up Jehosophat!’ murmured Cappy. | |
| Somebody in Boots 175: Holy Creepin’ Jesus, man, didn’t she look like her though? [Ibid.] 206: H-Holy s-sneakin-Jesus. | |
| Man with the Golden Arm 250: ‘Holy Jumped-up Jesus,’ Sparrow protested. | |
| In Comes Death 87: Well, holy jumped-up bejeebers. | |
| Finders Keepers (2016) 8: Holy hopping Jesus, Morrie! We hit the jackpot. |
see separate entry.
see separate entry.
(US) a mild excl.
| Bar-20 xxiv: Th’ Lord help Billy! Holy Mackinaw! | |
| Madison Jrnl (LA) 30 Aug. 3/4: Holy Mackinaw! I went out into the wilderness givin’ thanks. |
(orig. US juv.) a general excl. of amazement or shock.
| Gettysburg Compiler (PA) 27 Mar. 4/5: ‘Rolly polly, bright and jolly!’ Maybe ‘Remmy,’ my faithful typewriter, should have spelt it, ‘Roly poly, holy moly!’. | |
| Coshocton (OH) County Democrat 13 Mar. n.p.: The pudgy-cheeked, wild-haired Jimmy sat back at his familiar desk yesterday and ejaculated: ‘Holy Moly, what we’re going to do with this team!’. | |
| Stand (1990) 16: Holy moly! If he’d a been doing sixty we’d all be dead. | |
| Double Whammy (1990) 281: ‘What’s she weigh, anyhow?’ ‘Twenty-nine even.’ ‘Holy moly.’ Fast Eddie gasped. | |
| Street Talk 2 205: Holy Moley! How much money did you win? | |
| Robbers (2001) 215: Tell you everything I know, tell you stuff I don’t know. Holy moly, I’ll make up shit. | |
| Big Ask 125: Holy moley, I thought, this is about my parting words to young Dazzer. | |
| interview with female space voyager on BBC World Service 20 Feb. [radio] Holy moly! we’re goin’ to space! |
an excl. of surprise, disbelief.
| Und. Nights 180: ‘Holy monkey,’ said Toby [...] ‘It’ll take us till the end of time.’. |
a general excl. of amazement or shock; note ext. in cit. 1876.
| Comic Almanack Apr. 223: ‘Holy Moshesh!’ says Abednego. | |
| Pickings from N.O. Picayune (1847) 21: ‘O, Holy Moses!’ exclaimed O’Toole. | |
| Our Boys 178: Howly Moses! | |
| First Fam’lies in the Sierras 101: Be the Moses, it’s a plate of holy wafers! | |
| Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 109: Screw your courage to the sticking place, and by the holy-jumping-mother-of-Moses – who was my uncle – we’ll not fail. | |
| Texas Cow Boy (1950) 39: He jumped ten feet in the air and roared out ‘Holy Moses!’. | |
| ‘Visit of Condolence’ in Roderick (1972) 32: Holy Moses! carn’t a feller arsk a civil queschin? | |
| No. 5 John Street 214: ’Oly Moses! what points he could ha’ given the Prince o’ Wiles! | |
| In Bad Company 109: Fancy Bill [...] settin’ out to burn steamers and kill people! Holy Moses! | |
| Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 102: Holy Moses! A grizzly, and not a hundred feet away! | |
| S.F. Call 21 May 5/1: Holy Mike, who don’t they heat this place? | |
| Truth (Sydney) 27 July 11/4: See them wimmin. Holey Moses! | |
| My Lady of the Chimney Corner 144: ‘Holy Moses!’ he exclaimed, ‘what a breath.’. | |
| Jim Maitland (1953) 71: ‘Holy Moses!’ he muttered. | |
| Sun. Post (Lanarks) 4 Apr. 8/3: Now what, by the holy Mike, did this discovery portend? | |
| Call It Sleep (1977) 361: Pullin’ him! Hully Muzziz! Look! In de hole! | |
| Somebody in Boots 359: ‘Holy sneakin’-Moses,’ he exclaimed. | |
| Shipbuilders (1954) 79: ‘Holy Mike!’ sighed Jim. | |
| Loving (1978) 21: Holy Moses look at the clock. | |
| Schnozzola 22: But a guy would come in and buy wine, Holy Moe! | |
| Big Smoke 173: Holy Moses, that job as a nightwatchman wouldn’t make it any better. | |
| Affairs of Gidget 91: Two weeks! Holy Moses! | |
| Dear ‘Herm’ 9: Holy Moses, why are you not listed in the Phone Book like any other law-abident citizen? | |
| Lily on the Dustbin 24: Women used to let off steam domestically with a fine range of substitute expletives. ‘Holy Moses!’, ‘Holy mackerel!’, ‘great balls of fire’, ‘good gravy’, ‘jumping Jehosaphat’, and ‘muddy great buckets of pitch’. | |
| Indep. Rev. 20 Mar. 3: Holy Moses! | |
| Hard Bounce [ebook] Holy Moses on a trampoline. |
an excl. of surprise.
| Busy Body 1178: Holy Peoria! You mean it! |
see under holy poker n.1
(US campus) an excl. of surprise.
| Affairs of Gidget 89: Holy pretzel! My face got aflame like paprika. |
a general excl. of surprise or astonishment.
| Hell’s Angels (1967) 279: ‘Holy shit!’ mumbled Tiny. | |
| Memphis-Nam-Sweden 155: Moscow! That’s supposed to be the center of the whole Communist world. Holy shit! | |
| Union Dues (1978) 342: Holy-shit-on-a-shamrock! You don’t catch me goin near that fucker. | |
| Fields of Fire (1980) 363: Holy shit. That’s weak, Captain. | |
| It (1987) 801: ‘Holy shit, that hurts!’ Victor roared. | |
| Bonfire of the Vanities 57: I said please pick up the fucking phone! I mean holy shit! | |
| Native Tongue 196: Chelsea caught up with him and related the problem. ‘Holy piss,’ said Kingbury. | |
| Pulp Fiction [film script] 96: Holy shit. | |
| (con. 1951) Prince Charming 118: Philip said: ‘Holy shit, a castration nightmare.’. | |
| Indep. on Sun. 25 July 28: ‘Holy shit!’ said an aghast American tourist. | |
| ‘Chickenhawk’ at www.cultdeadcow.com 🌐 Holy shit I nearly came then as I saw that thing split her cheeks. | |
| Keepers of Truth 128: Holy shit. You didn’t just make that up, did you? | |
| Fortress of Solitude 422: Holy shit! This world might be a dungeon these days, but a few voices called out to a few others. | |
| Rubdown [ebook] Holy shit. The ute had braked twenty metres from me. | |
| Turning Angel 359: ‘Holy shit!’ says Mia softly. | |
| ‘Thicker Than Water’ in C. Rhatigan and N. Bird (eds) Pulp Ink 2 [ebook] ‘Holy shit,’ Josh said. | |
| Cherry 25: ‘Holy shit! Your pupils are huge’ ‘I’m on ecstasy’. | |
| Silver [ebook] ‘For good? Holy shit. For good?’. | |
| The Answer Is 69: ‘Holy shit!’ I said. I jumped out of bed. ‘That’s it! I’m going to lose the bet!’. | |
| Rules of Revelation 59: ‘[H]oly shit, Izzy, I wouldn’t have brought that up [...] no wonder he’s ossified!’. |
see separate entry.
see holy hell!
see holy Moses!
(US) a general excl.
| Eve. Star (Wash., DC) 1 Aug. 31/3: ‘Holy toads!’ said the older mnan apprehensively. |
a general excl.
| Sporting Times 25 Apr. 1/2: ‘Holy wars!’ exclaimed the man when he laid odds to a lot of money on Mr. Assheton-Smith’s five thousand pounder [...] and saw him beaten. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 20 Aug. Red Page/1: Oh, ’oly wars! Ain’t ole July dead tough! | |
| ‘Hitched’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 81: ‘I’m trustin’, later on,’ sez Ginger Mick, / ‘To celebrate the chris’nin’.’ . . . ’Oly wars! |