Holy moly
Appearance
Holy Moly (also spelled Holy Moley) is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least 1892.[1] It is most likely a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses".[2]
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.
Holy Moly was a celebrity gossip website in the United Kingdom,[3] which closed in 2015.
References
Look up holy moley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- ^ Nathaniel Gould (1892). Running it off; or, Hard hit. George Routledge and Sons. p. 217.
holy moly.
- ^ PHrases.org.uk
- ^ Staff, Guardian (18 July 2005). "99. Holy Moly". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2020.