So I may have just had an epiphany, but does the term “Holy smokes” come from the appointment of a new Pope?

r/

Just as the question reads, is this from where it came from?

Comments

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  2. Gandgareth Avatar

    Well fuck, that makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

  3. Babygall99 Avatar

    Nah it’s referencing Jesus smoking a cig

  4. BadgersAndJam77 Avatar

    “Holy Smokes” isn’t about the Pope, but “Holy Shit” is.

  5. SeaLeopard5555 Avatar

    IDK there are all kinds of holies.

    holy smoke(s)

    holy cannoli

    holy cow

    holy mackerel

    holy s***

    holy hell in a handbasket

    (and it gets more creative from there)

  6. Goldf_sh4 Avatar

    Holy smokes!

  7. Xetaboz Avatar

    It is probably related to the term ‘burnt offering’

  8. Liko81 Avatar

    Probably more generally from the censers used in Catholic (and Episcopal and a few others) “high church” Masses. The smoke of the burning incense is literally “holy smoke.”

  9. NinjaBilly55 Avatar

    My Grandfather b. 1898 used to say ” Holy smoke the church burnt down “

  10. candid84asoulm8bled Avatar

    Idk, but as a really young catholic kid I crossed myself by saying, “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Smokes.”

  11. Legal_Delay_7264 Avatar

    It comes from the use of censers in church (the incense burners they swing around)

    Edit: spelling

  12. bad_piglet Avatar

    Yeah, it was decided during the great schism, that we should say, “Holy Smokes” when that happens to differentiate from the Eastern Orthodox version of “Sacremental Steam”, because fuck them and their goddamn beards.

    My dad was Catholic. My mom was Eastern Orthodox. Both are Americans, both sets of grandparents are from former Yugoslavia ( different parts). Everyone is atheist now. But I still had to go learn about both churches, and man… they’re the fucking same in every aspect except the long beards and iconography, and 25 years later, I don’t think I could even tell you who cares about what.

    Love y’all.

  13. midgetmakes3 Avatar

    No, it refers to Ras Tafari smokin’ a spliff

  14. AutomaticDoor75 Avatar

    “Hocus pocus” is a corruption of “Hoc est corpus” from the Latin mass.

  15. jershdahersh Avatar

    I always thought it came from burning the palms of palm sunday for the ashes for ash Wednesday

  16. friction7800 Avatar

    I’m here to support the Jeanne d’Arc version.

  17. Nitelyte Avatar

    My father told me that is what one of the popes said when there was a fire in the Vatican.

  18. Cloud_N0ne Avatar

    I always assumed it just was a ‘kid friendly’ version of “holy shit”.

  19. drlongtrl Avatar
  20. triffidhead Avatar

    I remember hearing that it comes from soldiers rolling cigarettes with pages from bibles.

  21. beobabski Avatar

    Gonna blow your mind when you find out where the word epiphany comes from.

  22. AncientClumps Avatar

    Who knew that Robin was a papal scholar?

  23. psyclopsus Avatar

    I always assumed it was southern churchy people trying to not swear, like my grandfather would say things like “dagnabbit” or “Sam Hill”

    Holy shit is easy enough to soften into holy smokes