Holy Moley!; (1929)

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>My question on this last cite would be is the "New Deal is no longer holy/to
>Professor Raymond Moley" a possible origin of the "Holy Moley" spelling of
>the term?

Conceivable but not likely IMHO even if the times are exactly right. The
more general speculation that Raymond Moley's name (in the news) influenced
the spelling tendency (without reference to this specific jingle) is more
likely, of course. But it could be just coincidence, as I think "moley" is
a reasonable way to spell the word from its sound.

I presume "Holy Moley" is an alteration of "Holy Moses". [The alternative
in HDAS, from a plant name "moly", is superficially implausible IMHO ...
analogous to modern "jinx" from a bird name "jynx".]

Did "Holy Moses" originate as a euphemism for something like "Holy Mother
of Christ/Jesus/God"?

-- Doug Wilson