Holly cow

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The expression My dear Scholli is a slang expression that generally expresses a certain surprise, in both a positive and a negative sense. It is used admiringly and appreciatively, but also as a warning. The Duden sees the phrase as an exclamation of astonishment or an admonition . Comparable expressions would be, for example, Donnerwetter! , All respect! or My dear swan / My dear friend (be careful) / My dear Mr. Choral Society!

Emergence

There are three theories about the origin of the idiom:

  • Scholli derives the first from the French adjective "joli" ('beautiful, nice, pretty'). My dear Scholli would then be a Germanized form with the meaning of “Well, my handsome, you've done something for yourself!” Or similar statements.
  • The second theory says that Scholli goes back to a real person, namely Ferdinand Joly (1765–1823). It was in 1783 by the University in Salzburg directed, the reason apparently is not known. After that he is said to have led a vagabond life and cultivated certain peculiarities that made him an original (at least not unknown in Austria) . Joly was also active as a poet of popular pieces and songs. In 2003 he was “honored” with a musical entitled Mei liaba Schole .
  • The third theory is that Scholli goes back to another real person, namely Julius August Isaak Jolly (1823-1891). From 1866 he was President of the Baden Ministry of the Interior. Due to the separation of church and state affairs, he anticipated the Prussian Kulturkampf in the Baden Kulturkampf . The church-political legislation of his reign was mainly shaped by the clergy's cultural exams, the introduction of civil marriage (1869) and the introduction of the simultaneous school (deconfessionalization of the school, 1876). The Simultaneous School Act sparked national outrage and was to lead to the dismissal of Jolly as Prime Minister in 1876. These and other decisions that were unpopular among individual denominations led to the expression of astonishment and the warning: " My dear Jolly ".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scholli. In: duden.de . Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ Christa Pöppelmann: I think my pig whistles! The most famous idioms. Compact Verlag, 2008, ISBN 3817466048 , pp. 143/144 ( limited preview ).
  3. ↑ Press comments on the musical Mei liaba Schole in perret-werner.de . Retrieved January 25, 2017.