Holy Moly
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.[citation needed
]
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