Meanings
- An exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
Synonyms: wow
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionAn exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
Origin
In use since 1920s (see Citations). The city of Toledo in Spain (after which the city in Ohio was later named) was the center of Christianity in Spain in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and its Archbishop was and still is the Primate of Spain. Phrase later made popular by the late Oakland A's and Raiders sportscaster Bill King.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
holy Toledo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20Toledo
“holy Toledo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20Toledo. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “holy Toledo,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20Toledo.
Source: holy Toledo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.