Another English lesson for you, from my experience as an ESOL tutor:

[CTyankee]

How can something be "holy" and "shit" at the same time, as in the expression "Holy shit!"

I was asked this by a speaker from China who had superb English skills (and was a scientist at Yale).

[FM123]

1. Yep.

I ask myself the same thing about the words president and trump.

[CTyankee]

4. That is a good explanation: something on the face of it cannot exist, therefore an abomination not

to be tolerated.

[blogslut]

2. When I first heard it, it was a satirical reference to Batman & Robin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/"Holy..."

As in: "Holy shit, Batman!"

[MineralMan]

3. It is the contradiction in meanings that makes the expression effective.

"Christ on a crutch!" is a similar contradictory expression.

English is full of such expressions. Looked at by examining the individual words, they don't seem to make much sense. But taken as a whole, the contradiction is part of the strength of the expression.

A little sacrilege can be very useful, really, in getting the point across that what you said is really serious.

On the other hand, if there were any samples of Jesus's excrement, there would be holy relics containing microscopic amounts of it, you can be sure.

[HotTeaBag]

6. Dang, beat me to it - and said it much more eloquently (and usefully) than I would have.

[Pantagruel]

12. "if there were any samples of Jesus's excrement"

Psst! I know a guy.........

[MineralMan]

14. LOL!

[central scrutinizer]

18. That's the cat's pajamas!

[Orangepeel]

5. well, it is an expression of amazement

I have no idea about the etymology, but it makes more sense than why we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway!

[CTyankee]

9. but here I can see driving on a parkway (observing parks in the vicinity of the roadway) and

"park" which is also a verb, hence "Park in the driveway" wherein "driveway" is a noun.

Makes perfect sense to me.

[mitch96]

15. The comedian Gallagher did a wonderful skit on the weird parts of english..

Gallagher and English language
Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? Why is it a pair of panties but only a bra? Ship things by truck?
I can see why learning engrish is zo hard.....
m

[Orangepeel]

21. Gallagher!

I thought I lifted it from Steven Wright!

[Polly Hennessey]

7. I have never written or said together the two words mentioned above.

He is not a President, he is only a tRump. My question is: do “holy and moly” belong together? 🧏🏻?♀️

[ConstanceCee]

8. Holy Cow

It's a stronger version of "Holy cow!" Can a cow be holy? Sweep it up with all the other expressions that can't be explained.

[CTyankee]

11. there are sacred cows in India, right?

[wendyb-NC]

10. I've been saying it a lot since since trup was elected,

and especially since the swearing in. I still do.

[CTyankee]

13. That makes sense to me, as in "how can this possibly BE?"

[LakeArenal]

16. Yeah. That's pretty awful.

[Xipe Totec]

17. Because we can't tell the difference between a sacrament and an excrement. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Why is "now then" an expression?

It's a tautology (ed: no, it's not. I meant oxymoron - it contains two opposites). It means almost nothing - just a verbal throat-clearing. Some people just say "now, ..." - which at least might be the idea that it's a slight change of subject - "now (I'm going to talk about this: ) ...". But how did "then" creep in?

[ProfessorGAC]

24. Good One!

I never even thought of that, but you're right! It doesn't really make sense.

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. I looked at some resources online; can't find an explanation, but it's old

They also reminded me it can be an admonition, entirely on its own - "Now then!". Still doesn't make any sense.

Early uses include Wycliffe's Bible translation into English in 1382 - " Now þanne go & smyt Amalech..ne spare þou to hym" (King James version "Now go and smite Amalek ... and spare them not" ), and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in 1395 "Now thanne put thyn hand doun my bak..and grope wel bihynde. Bynethe my buttok ..." (which also provides the earliest use of "fart&quot .

The earliest use the OED for has "to introduce a command" is from 1150 - something called "The Blickling Homilies": "Nu þonne aris & gang on ða ceastre to Matheum þinum breþer.".

For "introducing an important or noteworthy point in an argument or proof", the OED traces it back to King Alfred, late 9th century "Nu ðonne,..nu is to ongietanne æt hu micelre scylde ða beoð befangne."

[ProfessorGAC]

26. So, There's Etymology, But...

...it still doesn't make much sense!
Perfect!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

22. Reminds me of this comedian's bit:

[whistler162]

23. Obviously when the Pope poops