Holy moly (also spelled holy moley) is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least 1892.[1] It is a reduplication of 'holy', perhaps as a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses",[2] or "Holy Mary". There is no evidence connecting the phrase to Moly, a sacred herb of Greek mythology.[3]
It was popularized in the U.S. as an expression often used by Billy Batson, the alter ego of Captain Marvel, a superhero created for Fawcett Publications.[citation needed]
References
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Look up holy moley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- ^ Gould, Nat (1892). Running it Off; or, Hard Hit. London: George Routledge and Sons. p. 217.
Holy moley, what a game.
- ^ "holy moly!". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/2395747940. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Mayhew, Cari. "Holy moly". Phrase Finder. Retrieved 2024-07-13.