Meanings
alternative googly moogly · alternative googa mooga · alternative googamooga
- Expression of surprise, disbelief, delight, or fear.
Googly-moogly! What more could any human being possibly want?
1994, Brad Warner, Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality2 more examples
Great googly-moogly! M'Chunga thought. Now this was more like it!
2003, Beth Elliott, Don't Call it Virtual“Great googly-moogly!” the Vinaigrettes cry together. “We're rich,” says Olive. “It's a mighty fine find,” says Herb.
2005, Brian McCreight, The Legend of the Lowcountry Liar and Other Tales of a Tall Order, →ISBNSynonyms: wow
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionExpression of surprise, disbelief, delight, or fear.
Origin
A related form appears in 1953 as the title of the song “Good Googa Mooga,” a B-side recorded by the Magic Tones, and in the song “Stranded in the Jungle” recorded in 1956 by The Cadets, who added the line “Great goo-ga-moo-ga!” which did not appear in other artists' recordings of the song made that same year. The current form first appears in Howlin' Wolf's 1961 cover of blues singer St. Louis Jimmy Oden's 1942 song “Goin' Down Slow". The 'great googly moogly' version of the term is heard in the song "Nanook Rubs It", the second part of the Yellow Snow saga, on Frank Zappa's 1974 album 'Apostrophe.'
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
googly-moogly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/googly-moogly
“googly-moogly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/googly-moogly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “googly-moogly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/googly-moogly.
Source: googly-moogly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.