Talk:holy moley

Just wondering: why does this page have the translation at the bottom of "holy smoke"? This is an idiomatic play on "mola", isn't it? Quinto Simmaco (talk) 19:27, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Because they have identical meanings, so separate translations aren't necessary. Also no, why would it be a play on words of mola? Renard Migrant (talk) 20:21, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Not that "mola". "Sancta mola" (holy [moley], via "heilige Mühle"), otherwise known as "mola salsa", per the the popular neoclassical revival at the time the phrase was coined. Via the German, apparently, because it was the lingua franca of classical studies at the time, and the field was then flourishing. Purely anecdotal, mind you; this is what my grandfather was told during his Latin lessons as a child (about forty years after it was coined), and seemed to be the common wisdom of his time. It's entirely possible there is some other derivation, though, especially given the other variations. Quinto Simmaco (talk) 10:53, 20 April 2015 (UTC)