holy moley

English

Alternative forms

holy moly

Etymology

c. 1892 as a euphemism for "Holy Mary", Molly being a nickname for Mary. Compare holy Moses.

Interjection

holy moley!

(idiomatic, dated, humorous or euphemistic) An expression of surprise
- 1892, Nathaniel Gould, Running it off; or, Hard hit‎:
  "Whew !" he whistled, softly; "that's curious. Same name as the lady at our place. Suppose he should be her husband. Holy moley, what a game. I've made a discovery.

Synonyms

For semantic relationships of this term, see wow in the Thesaurus.

Translations

holy smoke — see holy smoke

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