“Sacred smoke” originally referred to smoke from religious sacrifices or incense, but is now used as an expression of surprise. It may have originated from the repeated vowel sound and has been used in various contexts, including in the popular TV show “Batman.” The phrase “holy” has been used in similar exclamations for many years, with no real meaning other than surprise. “Sacred smoke” has been used in various ways, including in restaurant names and song titles.
“Sacred smoke” was a term used to refer to the smoke given off by religious sacrifices or incense until the 19th century. Since that time, however, the phrase has been used almost exclusively as an expression of surprise, similar to the word “wow.” While this phrase may have been adapted from its earlier use as a mild expletive, linguists believe it is more likely to have originated as an exclamation simply due to the repeated vowel sound.
Since prehistoric times people of many religions have burned sacrifices and incense as an offering to various deities. The smoke would be understood as a specific sacred gift to a god or goddess. As a result, some people have labeled the smoke from these sacrifices “holy smoke.”
The first instance of this phrase in print is probably used in “The Epiphany,” a poem by Sir J. Beaumont, published in 1627. The phrase was not recorded as an exclamation until 1892, however, when Rudyard Kipling and Charles Balestier used it in their collaboration, The Naulahka. During the 1960s, the television show “Batman” popularized the saying through Robin’s exclamations, which included “Holy smoke, Batman!”
A prevailing theory suggests that the exclamation may have originated from smoke emitted from the Sistine Chapel during a papal conclave. According to tradition, when a new pope is chosen, the College of Cardinals meets in the Vatican to vote on who will be named the next pope. After each vote is tallied, smoke is blown to update the people watching, signaling if a new pope has been successfully elected. While this seems to qualify as “sacred smoke,” some language experts doubt its connection to the expression.
Various exclamations beginning with the word “holy” have been in use for many years, at least since the phrase “holy Moses” began appearing around 1850. Examples of these expressions include “holy moley”, “holy roller” and “holy Toledo”. The main similarity between most of these exclamations is the letter “o” and the fact that none of the sentences have any real meaning other than the expression of surprise.
The phrase “sacred smoke” has been used in a variety of ways, from the name of various barbecue restaurants, sauces, and cookbooks. It has been used by musicians as song titles and in song lyrics. “Holy smoke” has also been used as a film title.
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