Holy Willie

/ (ˈwɪlɪ) /

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noun

a person who is hypocritically pious

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Word Origin for Holy Willie

C18: from Burns' Holy Willie's Prayer

Words nearby Holy Willie

Holy Trinity, holy war, holy water, holy water sprinkler, Holy Week, Holy Willie, Holy Writ, Holy Year, hom-, homa, homage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use Holy Willie in a sentence

The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is marked by nine stations of the cross.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“You were going to work your way into my marriage and you were going to call its new three-way shape holy” the narrator recounts.
A Novel Nearly Impossible to Review|Nicholas Mancusi|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because holy hell was that bland, unfunny, uncomfortable, and just plain confusing.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And he was indicted in Israel last week on charges he plotted to blow up sites holy to Islam.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist|Creede Newton|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Israelis often are amused and appalled by the crazies attracted to the Holy Land, and not only for religious reasons.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist|Creede Newton|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After his death crowds flocked to his grave to touch his holy monument, till the authorities caused the church yard to be shut.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
His holy book says: There is more joy over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just men.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Their sin began on Holy Thursday, with so little secrecy and so bad an example, that the affair was beginning to leak out.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
All these things shall be for good to the holy, so to the sinners and the ungodly they shall be turned into evil.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The spread of the holy gospel and uninterrupted preaching went on until the return of the ambassador.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various