Holy Moly (also spelled Holy Moley) is an exclamation of surprise that dates from at least around 1892.[1] It is most likely a minced oath, a cleaned-up version of a taboo phrase such as "Holy Moses".[2]

It was popularized in the U.S. as an expression often used by Billy Batson, the alter ego of Captain Marvel, a superhero created for Fawcett Publications.

References

Look up holy moley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  1. ↑ Nathaniel Gould (1892). Running it off; or, Hard hit. George Routledge and Sons. p. 217. holy moly.
  2. ↑ PHrases.org.uk
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