Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

holy mackerel

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.07 in modern English

Syllables: holy -mack-er-el
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

An expression of surprise.

Humorous

Example Sentences

"‘Holy mackerel!’ he whispered. ‘Englehorn! Driscoll! Get a look at this thing.’"
"Holy Mackerel! Here Comes the Bride!""
""Holy mackerel! Just any old dumb hag who can cook and lie on her back?""

Etymology

Recorded from 1803 with uncertain origin, but possibly a euphemism for Holy Mary, with Mackerel being a nickname for Catholics because they ate the fish on Fridays. Another suggested explanation is the practice of selling mackerel on Sundays in the seventeenth century (because its quality deteriorates rapidly), so it was known as holy fish.

Usage

Humorous

Synonyms

wow

Questions

What does holy mackerel mean?: An expression of surprise.
Where does holy mackerel come from?: Recorded from 1803 with uncertain origin, but possibly a euphemism for Holy Mary, with Mackerel being a nickname for Catholics because they ate the fish on Fridays. Another suggested explanation is the practice of selling mackerel on Sundays in the seventeenth century (because its quality deteriorates rapidly), so it was known as holy fish.

How to pronounce holy mackerel

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