OVERVIEW It’s a shame when words that have strong spiritual connotations become part of the slang language of a culture. Take the word “holy,” for instance; and think of all the ways it’s used that detract from its original meaning: “holy cow,” “holy smoke,” “holy Joe,” “holy mackerel,” “holy Toledo,” and “holy roller.” I’m sure there are reasons, but I can’t imagine what “holy” has to do with most of those words. All I know is that when an important word like “holy” is used as slang, people stop