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

[Ben Zimmer]

IMDb goes with "Holy Schnike!"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114694/quotes?item=qt0510925

...but the s(c)hnike(y)s are definitely plural, as Farley pronounced it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig4jbcU9db0

One more spelling, from this movie transcript: "shnikees."

http://www.script-o-rama.com/tommy-boy-script-transcript-farley.html


On Thu, Apr 6, 2017 at 2:22 PM, Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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.
>
>

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