origin of a saying

[emcalister]

What does the saying "Holy mackerel" mean?

[jmarie108]

It's an exclamation. Similar to Holy Cow! or Oh my goodness! I don't know the origin of it, though.

[patience]

Ask Robin!

[pinus]

holy cow 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." Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright � 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

[female19]

i may be taking the mick out of the old fish and bread jesus perhaps?