holy cow
8
7.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
¡santo cielo!
- Holy cow, it's the fire department.
- say, 'holy cow'
- just said, 'holy cow'
- holy cow, man
Moltow OMOLTOW, Holy cow, I love this stuff.
- Moltow OMOLTOW, Holy cow, I love this stuff.
- And you come away feeling like, holy cow, how can we?
- These are the Knicks gel pencil liners and holy cow, they are amazing.
- They're willing to identify it, set appropriate boundaries, and then they're like, holy cow, this is my sister.
Examples
-
Holy cow, we're millionaires!
Blog text (16) -
Holy cow, I'm in the movie!
-
All right, we made it to the very top and holy cow, this view.
-
And it's only then that you realize, holy cow, this, of course, this would be a global event.
-
"I looked at the production order, and I just said, 'Holy cow.'"
Academic text (1999) -
Holy cow, is that your new teacher?
-
Holy cow, this is quite a post.
Blog text (25) -
Holy cow, I cannot believe the comeback that I am witnessing, folks.
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Holy cow, Glenn, this is some thought-provoking stuff.
Blog text (33)
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
24
9.9
A word people say to show mild surprise
22
9.8
A short word people say to show surprise, admiration, or annoyance
17
9.4
A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling
16
8.3
A short sound people say to show surprise or excitement
15
9.9
A short shout showing surprise or admiration
14
8.8
A short cry people use to show surprise or amazement
14
9.9
A short cry showing surprise or excitement
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
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
8.4
A short sound people make when they suddenly understand something
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
9.9
An informal word people say to show surprise, annoyance, or that they do not believe something
2
9.9
A short cry showing surprise or sudden understanding
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 that shows surprise or shock
A short shout to show surprise or amazement
A word people say to show strong surprise
To show surprise or doubt
To say or write a short exclamation to show surprise
A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something
A short cry of surprise when something is hard to believe
A short phrase people say to show surprise or confusion
A word people used long ago to show surprise
An old-fashioned word people say to show surprise
A loud informal shout that shows surprise, shock, or strong annoyance
A short phrase people say to show surprise or frustration instead of using a religious name
A short cry showing surprise or shock
A short shocked cry showing disbelief about something ridiculous
A strong cry showing surprise or shock
An old-fashioned shout said to show surprise or shock
A short shout showing surprise, alarm, or disbelief
A short cry people say when surprised, hurt, or disgusted
A short phrase showing surprise or disbelief used by people who call on Allah
How Surprised
- Informal
8
7.6
- Informal
2
9.6
- Informal
∞
1.0
- Informal
2
7.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
holy + cow
The phrase 'holy cow' is a conventional exclamation (a minced oath) meaning surprise or amazement that cannot be directly derived from 'holy' (sacred) + 'cow' (animal). While 'holy' can signal intensity, the pairing with 'cow' is idiomatic and unpredictable, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would likely not infer the exclamatory meaning.
Etymology
Holy cow may come from people choosing a mild, funny image instead of a stronger religious word; they imagined a holy cow wearing a halo, which makes the phrase feel surprising. That's why holy cow is used today to show 'surprise'.