Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 27, 2026

Holy moly

Holy moly is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least 1892. It is a reduplication of 'holy', perhaps as a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses", or "Holy Mary". There is no evidence connecting the phrase to Moly, a sacred herb of Greek mythology.

Last revised
Jul 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
136 w
Citations
3
Source
Wikipedia ↗

Holy moly (also spelled holy moley, or holey moley) 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.

References

References

  1. Gould, Nat (1892). Running it Off; or, Hard Hit. London: George Routledge and Sons. p. 217. Holy moley, what a game.
  2. "holy moly!". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/2395747940. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. Mayhew, Cari (26 June 2024). "Holy moly". Phrase Finder. Retrieved 2024-07-13.