Holy moly

{{Short description|Exclamation of surprise}}

{{for|the Blueface song|Holy Moly (song)}}

Holy moly (also spelled holy moley) is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least 1892.{{cite book|first=Nat|last=Gould|author-link=Nat Gould|title=Running it Off; or, Hard Hit|publication-place=London|publisher=George Routledge and Sons|year=1892|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oDgPAAAAQAAJ|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oDgPAAAAQAAJ/page/n220 217]|quote=Holy moley, what a game.}} It is a reduplication of 'holy', perhaps as a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses",{{cite OED|holy moly!|2395747940}} or "Holy Mary". There is no evidence connecting the phrase to Moly, a sacred herb of Greek mythology.{{cite web | first=Cari | last=Mayhew | title=Holy moly | url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/holy-moly | website=Phrase Finder | date=26 June 2024 | access-date=2024-07-13 }}

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.{{cn|date=November 2023}}