[Ads-l] Holy cow! 1905; "by the holy cow" 1826

[Stephen Goranson]

 I had not seen that.
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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2024 3:35 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Holy cow! 1905; "by the holy cow" 1826

Both of those references arenoted in my post about the expression.

The expression apoears to have bee popularized among baseball players avoiding violations of the rules of decorum.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/05/holy-cow-hinduism-and-baseball.html__;!!OToaGQ!utOL7g-Exjqc7nIywnd0o2ms98zB_oHMyIsTBx_z3O2d6A-rQhqzSMvXKQ8UayjaiFh5eOD23mqalxdFfQ$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/05/holy-cow-hinduism-and-baseball.html?m=1__;!!OToaGQ!utOL7g-Exjqc7nIywnd0o2ms98zB_oHMyIsTBx_z3O2d6A-rQhqzSMvXKQ8UayjaiFh5eOD23mr1SN_IdQ$ >

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2024 7:52:10 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Holy cow! 1905; "by the holy cow" 1826

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Subject:      Holy cow! 1905; "by the holy cow" 1826
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1905, Nov. 24, Fri. Minneapolis Journal, 24/1-2, newspapers.com.
[start] A lover of the cow writes to this column to protest against a certa=
in variety of Hindoo oath having to do with the vain use of the name of the=
 milk producer. There is profane exclamations, "holy cow! " and, "By the st=
omach of the eternal cow!" These are Hindoo cuss words of great fierceness =
and antiquity and probably correspond to the American farmer's hostile inve=
ctive, "by hen." Then there's grandma's blasphemy in times of great stress:=
 "Cat's foot!" [end]

1826,  January to March. The Oriental Herald and Journal of General Literat=
ure, Pandurang Hari..., London, vol. VIII, 74. Google books.
[start] The Musulman swears by "Allah," and the Hindoo by "the holy cow;" [=
end]

1826. Pandurang Hari, Or, Memoirs of a Hindoo, by William Browne Hockley, L=
ondon, I:307 gb.
[start] I heard him swear by the holy cow he would have my life [end]

sg

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