Holy moly
(Redirected from Holy Moly)
Holy moly (also spelled holy moley, or holey moley[citation needed]) 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.
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