holy cow

English

Etymology

Minced oath for holy shit, possibly partially based on the fact that cows are sacred in some religions (e.g. Hinduism).

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Interjection

holy cow

1. (idiomatic, euphemistic, minced oath) An exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
   • 1977, Jim Steinman (lyrics and music), “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”, in Bat Out of Hell, performed by Meat Loaf ft. Phil Rizzuto:

     Holy cow I think he's gonna make it!

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:wow

Translations

interjection

• French: la vache (fr)

See also

• moly cow
• sacred cow