# Who uses phrase "Holy Cow" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 28, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496 "2005-07-28T01:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/1 "2005-07-28T01:08:35Z")
I have normally only seen Cubs & Yankees fans use this expression. This is from listening to Harry Carey or Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto do baseball games. Who else uses it and where did you pick it up from? Strangely enough the 2 most beloved Homers I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/2 "2005-07-28T01:17:12Z")
My daughter uses it. I have no idea where she got it from. She’s 5. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/3 "2005-07-28T01:19:58Z")
Not ‘Holy Cow’ but I’ve recently taken to using ‘blimey’ a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/4 "2005-07-28T01:21:01Z")
I do. Don’t really have an explanation, but use it pretty frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/5 "2005-07-28T01:22:18Z")
I also don’t say holy cow, but I have recently switched from holy cheese to the monosyllabic swiss. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/6 "2005-07-28T01:22:19Z")
Oh, the second part of the question… I’m not a Cubs fan, and I hate the Yankees with every ounce and fiber of my being. I have no idea where I picked it up. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/7 "2005-07-28T01:46:23Z")
I use it once in a while, usually when I’m trying to filter myself around the kids, ‘holy macaroni’ comes out more often though. Never listened to a baseball game broadcast in my life, maybe it seeped into my subconcious watching Happy Days reruns as a kid instead. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/8 "2005-07-28T02:36:39Z")
I use it and ‘Holy Moley’ a lot. I think I got the latter from Grumpy Old Men. I have no idea about the former. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/9 "2005-07-28T04:58:21Z")
I use it. Although I tend to favor “Holy Crap” nowadays, depending on the audience. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/10 "2005-07-28T05:10:22Z")
It was pretty standard little kid talk when I was growing up in Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/11 "2005-07-28T09:27:38Z")
I bet a lot of Hindus use it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/12 "2005-07-28T12:30:44Z")
I understand the phrase was heavily used on one of the 1930s radio adventure shows. I can’t recall which one. It certainly popularized the use of the phrase, and I’d heard that they invented it. (In much the same way, I heard that the comic book **Captain Marvel** introduced “Holy Moly!”) In both cases, it’s a mild oath that takes the place of a much stronger expression. The “Holy Cow” phrase, as suggested above, invokes the idea of the Sacred Cattle of India, and so seems to have a modicum of reality behind it. I suspect “Holy Crow!” is a variation of “Holy Cow”. I remember these being commonly used when I was a kid, so if I used them, I woulda picked it up from the local culture. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/13 "2005-07-28T13:00:38Z")
I do. No idea why – it couldn’t be a sports connection as I am almost completely ignorant of all things sports related. Sometimes I use “Holy Cats!” instead. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/14 "2005-07-28T13:23:34Z")
Thanks for all the good answers. I know from Scooter and Harry that they were both using expressions from their youths, oh so long ago. I never had heard the expression outside of baseball so I was surprised to see it in a post. I was wondering if I would get some replies from people born in the 1920’s. Apparently the expression is more widespread than I thought and I just hadn’t stumbled across it before. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/15 "2005-07-28T14:38:56Z")
I use it. Trying to cut down on swearing. I was aware of it’s use in baseball. I was probably reminded of it by the Seinfeld episode with the Hary Carey head keychain. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/16 "2005-07-28T14:55:00Z")
I say it all the time. I’m also a fan of “holy cats”, “holy mackrel”, holey hannah", “holy smokes”, "holy crap"and my favorite, lifted from Seinfeld, “sweet fancy Moses”. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/17 "2005-07-28T14:55:00Z")
I use it. I picked it up from my parents when I was a wee one, along with a variety of other non-swear phrases that people use when they have 6 kids. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/18 "2005-07-28T16:16:44Z")
“Holy ned” is the favorite out **Doug** way. Etymology unknown, and who gives a wet slap? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/19 "2005-07-28T17:28:13Z")
Col. John Renwick was known to use it. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496/20 "2005-07-28T17:34:20Z")
‘Holy Cow’ is used by half of the state of Minnesota. ‘Holy Moley’ is used by two-thirds. We’ve had a lot of out of staters moving in, otherwise it would be closer to four-fifths. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-phrase-holy-cow/314496.md?page=2)