holy cow

interjection

, Slang.

1. (used to express bewilderment, surprise, or astonishment.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of holy cow¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Idioms and Phrases

Also, holy mackerel or Moses or moly or smoke . An exclamation of surprise, astonishment, delight, or dismay, as in Holy cow, I forgot the wine , or Holy mackerel, you won! or Holy Moses, here comes the teacher! or Holy smoke, I didn't know you were here too . The oldest of these slangy expletives uses mackerel , dating from about 1800; the one with Moses dates from about 1850 and cow from about 1920. None has any literal significance, and moly is a neologism devised to rhyme with “holy” and possibly a euphemism for “Moses.”

Example Sentences

“And then I look back up, and Mookie is already past Cole, and Anthony is not going to get there in time. I’m like, ‘Holy cow.’

From Los Angeles Times

“Her campaign broke a single-day fundraising record with 1.1 million individual donors, and 60 percent of those donors were making their first contribution to the 2024 cycle. Holy cow!”

From Salon

“You’d leave Mass thinking, ‘Holy cow!

From Seattle Times

Located in the bustling Pike Place Market, Holy Cow Records is normally busy on a Saturday anyway — and even more so on Record Store Day.

From Seattle Times

"When we hit record, I was literally like, 'Holy cow'," says Spiteri.

From BBC