<P> "Holy cow!" (and similar) is an exclamation of surprise used mostly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and England . It is a minced oath or euphemism for "Holy Christ!" Holy Cow! dates to at least 1905 . The earliest known appearance of the phrase was in a tongue - in - cheek letter to the editor: "A lover of the cow writes to this column to protest against a certain variety of Hindu oath having to do with the vain use of the name of the milk producer . There is the profane exclamations, "holy cow!" and, "By the stomach of the eternal cow!" " The phrase appears to have been adopted as a means to avoid penalties for using obscene or indecent language and may have been based on a general awareness of the holiness of cows in some religious traditions . </P> <P> From the Dictionary of American Slang (1960): </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> "Holy Buckets!" Equiv. to "Holy cats!" or "Holy Mike!" both being euphemisms for "Holy Christ!". This term is considered to be very popular among teenagers, and most teens claim it is definitely a very popular phrase . It is also the common oath and popular exclamation put into the mouths of teenagers by many screenwriters, and, is universally heard on radio, television, and in the movies . It was first popularized by the "Corliss Archer" series of short stories, television programs, and movies, which attempted to show the humorous, homey side of teenage life . </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> "Holy Buckets!" Equiv. to "Holy cats!" or "Holy Mike!" both being euphemisms for "Holy Christ!". This term is considered to be very popular among teenagers, and most teens claim it is definitely a very popular phrase . It is also the common oath and popular exclamation put into the mouths of teenagers by many screenwriters, and, is universally heard on radio, television, and in the movies . It was first popularized by the "Corliss Archer" series of short stories, television programs, and movies, which attempted to show the humorous, homey side of teenage life . </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr>

Where does the expression holy cow come from