// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "Holy moly" say to itself? Mole-y me!
Holy moly (also spelled holy moley, or holey moley[citation needed]) is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least 1890.[1][2] It is a reduplication of 'holy', perhaps as a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses",[3] or "Holy Mary". There is no evidence connecting the phrase to Moly, a sacred herb of Greek mythology.[4]
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.
- ↑ Verax (15 October 1890). "Hard Hit: Chapter XXII: Going for a Recovery". The Referee. p. 7.
Holy moley, what a game.
- ↑ Gould, Nat (1892). "Chapter XXII: Going for a Recovery". 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 (26 June 2024). "Holy moly". Phrase Finder. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
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