Where Did the Expression ‘Holy Cow’ Come From?

Different religions hold sacred different things. In Hinduism, for example, the cow is considered to be representative of the divine and is therefore venerated. Understanding that, it’s easy to make the leap to thinking that the phrase “holy cow” is inspired by Hindu beliefs. 

But not all etymological histories are what they appear to be on the surface. While there is some potential truth to the theory, it isn’t necessarily the entire story. Here’s what we can tell you about the roots of the exclamatory phrase “holy cow!”

“Holy cow” is a late entry in a long line of similar phrases used to express surprise. For example, “holy Moses” dates back to the 1850s, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, while “holy smoke” and “holy mackerel” were in use by the 1890s. These are examples of minced euphemisms, meaning they’re replacement words used to avoid profanity. “Holy cow” was used as slang by 1905, with an example appearing in a humor column in the Minneapolis Journal.

That entry — with dated language by today’s standards — mentioned a local dairy farmer and made reference to the fact that cows are sacred among Hindus. The dairy farmer credited the Hindu religion for the phrase “holy cow” but also cited the exclamations “by hen!” and “cat’s foot!” as related alternatives. From this example we know the Hindu respect for cows was understood by Americans at this early date, but we don’t know if the words “holy” and “cow” were originally paired in the slang term because of an actual connection to the religion. Others suggest that “holy cow” is an anglicized version of the Gaelic phrase holy cathu, meaning “holy sorrow.” If this theory holds water, it’s probable that American English speakers heard Irish immigrants saying “holy cathu” and misinterpreted it.

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We can trace how “holy cow” gained popularity thanks to several 20th-century American baseball broadcasters. Halsey Hall — a Minneapolis-based broadcaster — popularized “holy cow” as a home run call while calling games in the 1960s. The legendary Harry Caray and Phil Rizzuto also uttered the catchphrase during their broadcasts. Because baseball is such an important part of American culture, these broadcasters helped bring this exclamation to the masses.