holy buckets
- idiom
- Informal
:
¡santo cielo!
- Holy buckets! I didn't expect to see you here today.
Examples
-
Holy buckets, that storm came out of nowhere!
-
When I heard the news, all I could say was 'holy buckets!'
-
Holy buckets! That was an incredible performance!
-
Holy buckets, I can't believe how fast you finished that project!
-
After hearing the surprise party plans, I exclaimed, 'Holy buckets!'
Synonyms
347
8.9
An angry or surprised question showing you do not believe something
90
8.9
A short cry to show surprise, confusion, disbelief, or casual acceptance
35
8.2
An exclamation that shows strong surprise or shock
26
9.9
A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked
17
9.4
A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling
14
9.9
A strong rude shout people use when they feel very angry or shocked
9
7.7
A short phrase people say to show surprise, shock, or admiration
9
9.9
Adds strong anger or surprise to what you say
8
7.6
A short phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief
5
7.5
A short phrase people say to show surprise or shock
4
9.9
A short informal word people say when they feel surprise, shock, or annoyance
4
9.5
A short word people say when they are surprised or shocked
3
8.2
A short cry to show strong surprise or admiration
3
9.6
To say when you are very surprised or shocked
2
9.6
A short surprised phrase people say when they are shocked
2
7.0
To show surprise, shock or disbelief in a mild, polite way
1
9.9
A short old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
1
9.9
An old expression showing surprise or shock
A short shout to show surprise or amazement
A word people say to show strong surprise
To show surprise or doubt
A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something
A friendly phrase people say to show surprise or excitement
A short phrase showing surprise or disbelief used by people who call on Allah
A strong old word people say to show surprise or shock
A loud informal shout that shows surprise, shock, or strong annoyance
A short cry of surprise when something is hard to believe
A short shout that shows surprise or strong excitement
A short phrase people say to show surprise or frustration instead of using a religious name
A word people used long ago to show surprise
A short cry showing surprise or shock
A short shocked cry showing disbelief about something ridiculous
A strong spoken reaction showing surprise and disbelief
Often comes before a word to show anger or surprise
How Surprised
- Informal
8
7.6
- Informal
- Informal
∞
1.0
- Informal
2
7.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
holy + buckets
The phrase combines 'holy' (sacred) with the literal noun 'buckets', and there is no compositional link from these meanings to an exclamation of surprise. Although English has a productive pattern of 'holy + X' exclamations (holy cow, holy moly), the choice of an arbitrary noun makes the overall meaning idiomatic and unpredictable for a B1 learner who only knows the parts.
Etymology
The exclamation holy buckets may come from putting the religious word holy next to a plain object like buckets, creating a funny picture of someone so shocked they knock over a bucket or cry out at something both sacred and ordinary. That's why people say holy buckets to show 'surprise' or 'shock'.