holy smokes

English

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -əʊks
  • Audio (US):(file)

Interjection

holy smokes

  1. Alternative form of holy smoke.
    • 1971, “Suicide Song”, in Loudon Wainwright III (lyrics), Album II, performed by Loudon Wainwright III:
      Stomp on the moon and spit in the ocean / Razzamatazz and I love you / Holy smokes and Land o' Goshen / You can do anything that you want to do.

Usage notes

  • holy smoke is a little more common than holy smokes in written publications,[1] but holy smokes has acquired a majority of usage in the US.[2]

References

  1. ^ holy smokes, holy smoke at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.
  2. ^ “Google Trends”, in Google Trends (in American English), 11 September 2023 (last accessed)

Further reading

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