jiminy

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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An alteration of earlier Gemini (an expression of mild surprise or annoyance); see there for more.

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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jiminy

  1. (dated) An expression of mild surprise or annoyance.
    • 1917, Elaine Sterne, The Road of Ambition, New York, N.Y.: Britton Publishing Company, page 120:
      He sat up with a jerk. "Holy Jiminy! How did you figure all that out?"
    • 1956, Joe Evans Brown, Laughter Is a Wonderful Thing, New York, N.Y.: A. S. Barnes and Company, page 77:
      "Jimminy!" I thought. "Now I can do my Christmas shopping just like anybody." I dashed out along the town's main street to look at the glowing store windows and ponder what to buy.
    • 1968, Peter Dickinson, The Glass-Sided Ant's Nest, New York, N.Y., Evanston, I.L.: Harper & Row, Publishers, page 23:
      A hand touched her arm, in the crook of the bare flesh inside the elbow. Jiminy, how quietly they could all move! She looked sideways and up, through the dark.
    • 2007, Tricia Boone, Melissa Thompson, The Stormholder, Nashville, T.N.: Cold Tree Press, →ISBN, page 137:
      "Oh, jimminy," yelled Katie. "Don't you..." she warned, as the brew drizzled into her palms. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the table.

Usage notes

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  • May also be used to indicate seriousness when preceded by "I wish to" or "I swear to".

Derived terms

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Further reading

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