[Ads-l] holy s(c)hnike(y)s

[Barretts Mail]

The Daily Kos has an article today titled

Holy shnikeys! Jon Ossoff smashes all-time record with $8.3 million haul—and you were the reason why
(http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/4/5/1650603/-Holy-shnikeys-Jon-Ossoff-smashes-all-time-record-with-8-3-million-haul-and-you-were-the-reason-why <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/4/5/1650603/-Holy-shnikeys-Jon-Ossoff-smashes-all-time-record-with-8-3-million-haul-and-you-were-the-reason-why>)

and had an article two years ago with a different spelling:

"Holy Schnikes, Jeb!" The GOP continues 19th Century Liberalism with a RW bobble-face
(http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/1/1388384/--Holy-Schnikes-Jeb-The-GOP-continues-19th-Century-Liberalism-with-a-RW-bobble-face <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/1/1388384/--Holy-Schnikes-Jeb-The-GOP-continues-19th-Century-Liberalism-with-a-RW-bobble-face>)

All four spellings of this expression seem to be in use:

holy shnikes
holy shnikeys
holy schnikes
holy schnikeys

According to the Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/iran-makes-jeb-bush-say-holy-schnikes-2015-2 <http://www.businessinsider.com/iran-makes-jeb-bush-say-holy-schnikes-2015-2>), the expression was popularized in 1995 by Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy”.

Neither Wiktionary nor the online Oxford Dictionaries have the shnikes regardless of the spelling.

The Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Holy%20Schnikes <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Holy%20Schnikes>) and the Online Slang Dictionary (http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/holy-schnikeys <http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/holy-schnikeys>) both have the word but with different spellings.

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org