holy cow!
Meaning: An exclamation of surprise.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Holy cow! Look at the size of that pumpkin.”
Category: Animals
Origin: A mild American substitute for stronger oaths, recorded from the early 20th century. It was popularized by baseball broadcasters such as Phil Rizzuto.
Equivalents in other languages
- Polish: rany koguta — literally: rooster's wounds
- French: La vache ! — literally: The cow!
More idioms — Animals
- sly as a fox — Very cunning.
- count one's chickens before they hatch — To rely on something good before it has actually happened.
- a dog's breakfast — A complete mess.
- not a peep — Not a sound, or not a word from someone.
- have a whale of a time — To enjoy oneself enormously.
- use someone as a cat's paw — To get someone else to do one's dirty work.
More English idioms
- good riddance — Said when one is glad to be rid of someone or something.
- go through the wringer — To go through a very hard experience.
- go off on a tangent — To wander away from the subject being discussed.
- strike out — To fail completely, especially in an attempt to attract someone.
- clear as day — Completely obvious.
- nothing doing — Refusal; there is no chance of that happening.
From our compliments & insults
- 石頭 (Ishiatama) — A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.
- Tu as du chien — You have a certain irresistible magnetism — a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people in.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules — You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.