Meanings
- euphemistichumorousidiomaticAn expression of surprise.
Holy Mackerel! Here Comes the Bride!"
1951, Marguerite Wallace Kennedy, chapter 3, in My Home on the Range2 more examples
‘Holy mackerel!’ he whispered. ‘Englehorn! Driscoll! Get a look at this thing.’
1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 48"Holy mackerel! Just any old dumb hag who can cook and lie on her back?"
1956, Ian Fleming, Diamonds are Forever, published 1965, page 163Synonyms: wow
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionAn expression of surprise.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
holy mackerel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20mackerel
“holy mackerel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20mackerel. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “holy mackerel,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20mackerel.
Source: holy mackerel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.