Etymology Journal ยท J
Jiminy Cricket!
Meaning
- An exclamation of surprise or wonder. It is a very polite, childlike way of expressing shock without using any profanity.
Innocent, classic
Used in a sentence
- Jiminy Cricket, that is a huge fish!
- Jiminy Cricket, I almost missed my train.
- My teacher used to say Jiminy Cricket every time we got too loud.
The backstory
It likely evolved as a minced oath for Jesus Christ, using the rhyming Jiminy. The famous character in Pinocchio cemented its place in American pop culture.
Heard in
Nationwide
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