Jiminyn.
/ˈdʒɪmᵻni/, U.S. /ˈdʒɪməni/ Used as a mild oath or exclamation, esp. in Jiminy Christmas (see Christmas int.) and Jiminy cricket.
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the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > oaths other than religious or obscene > mild oaths
by George1616
for, before, fore George1616
Gemini1664
dash my wig(s)1797
Jiminy1803
Christmas1882
1803 G. Colman John Bull i. i. 6 Den. A customer... Mrs. B. Jemmeny! and so there is.
c1816 Ld. Byron in R. G. Latham Dict. Eng. Lang. (1872) Crimini, jimini! Did you ever hear such a nimminy pimminy Story as Leigh Hunt's Rimini?
1848 in Amer. Speech (1935) 10 40 By Jiminy Cricket, an exclamation of surprise.
1863 C. Reade Hard Cash I. iv. 124 O, jiminy! This polite ejaculation was drawn out by the speaker's sudden recognition of Alfred.
1890 Dial. Notes 1 49 Jimminy Cripes! and Jimminy Christmas! are forms of oaths overheard.
1894 J. T. Moore Songs & Stories from Tennessee (1897) 18 Jiminy! But didn't we hab a good time on de road?
1897 R. Kipling Captains Courageous iv. 91 Jiminy Christmas! That gives me the blue creevles.
1930 J. Dos Passos 42nd Parallel ii. 147 Jimminy criskets [sic], what I couldn't do to a watermelon, Joe.
1934 W. Saroyan Daring Young Man (1935) 123 He was telling her. Jiminy crickets.
1940 N. Marsh Surfeit of Lampreys (1941) x. 139 ‘I am completely baffled.’ ‘Jiminy cricket!’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1976; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1803