rhizoverbBeta
DictionarygollySurprise or emphasis
interjection

golly

GAH-lee/ˈɡɑːli/

A mild expression of surprise or emphasis.

Golly, that pumpkin is much bigger than I expected!

A red-haired white girl looks delightedly surprised by a huge pumpkin.
Etymology
gollyEnglishGod

Golly substitutes for God in an oath or emphatic exclamation. This softened invocation conveys surprise or emphasis without directly using the divine name.

In context

SomerClinic19:21
Were those children in the Chowchilla kidnapping? By golly, they were there. And everybody knows the names of those kids and everybody knows that they were there.
Flashback: The science behind the recovered memory of child sexual abuse (2008)

More examples

  • She exclaimed golly when she saw the size of the cake.
  • Golly, I haven't seen you in years.
  • He answered with a surprised golly.

Forms

golly

Similar words

gosh
Another mild surprise exclamation.
wow
A common expression of amazement.