Holy mackerel!

holy mackerel

An exclamation of surprise, shock, or astonishment. Holy mackerel, the bill for that dinner is nearly $200! We won the lottery? Holy mackerel, that's amazing news!
See also: holy, mackerel
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Holy mackerel!

Inf. Wow! Holy mackerel! What a beautiful day! Holy mackerel! What's this? A new car?
See also: holy
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

Holy mackerel!

(ˈholi ˈmækrəl)
exclam. Wow! Holy mackerel! What a day!
See also: holy
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • holy mackerel
  • holy crap on a cracker
  • holy crickets
  • moley
  • holy Hannah
  • holy moley
  • Holy moley!
  • moly
  • Holy cow!
References in periodicals archive
* Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse and Holy Mackerel! Seafood are at 70 Yorktown Center, Lombard, (630) 953-3400.
Holy mackerel! Somebody coulda ' got hurt and we coulda lost an aircraft in this fiasco.
'One is some kind of composite thing--I see something and say "Holy Mackerel!" Usually there is some element of eccentricity in the work.
"Holy mackerel! All that flavor," said Gregg Glaser.
I generally reserve that kind of exuberance for the sports pages, but this story was worth not only an, "Oh my!" but also a "Holy mackerel!"
Holy mackerel! Some women columnists are much more vicious than men.
HOLY mackerel! Batman's been squabbling with his family.
As a child I remember wondering about that expression as adults around me kept exclaiming, "Holy mackerel!" when they were excited, upset or awed.
HOLY MACKEREL!; The Caped Crusader has to fight Superman, below, in his next film adventure; MORE THAN CAPE-ABLE:; (From left) Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, Metroland and Captain Corelli's Mandolin; MASK OF EVIL: Christian
And the closest he'll ever come to taking the Lord's name in vain is when he says "Holy mackerel!"
"Holy mackerel! If that kind of stuff is allowed, I'll just ride on this sidewalk, for cryin' out loud!"
"Nice and cloudy, and holy mackerel! there is big apricot in this," said Gregg Glaser.