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Georgian · oath · interjection

crikey

KRY-kee /ˈkɹaɪki/pronunciation given by a dictionary

First recorded1826

An exclamation of astonishment. Victorian slang dictionaries all explain it as a disguised form of 'Christ!' — Hotten calls it a 'profane exclamation of astonishment'. Today it is mild and especially associated with British and Australian speech.

Where it was first recorded

Dated 1826 by Merriam-Webster, which does not name the work (Green's has 'O crikey' from 1828 and a variant 'becrike' from 1812; Etymonline gives 1838)

Also spelled: crickey, cricky, crikee, by crikey

In its own time

It would make you exclaim, 'twould so forcibly strike ye, / If a Frenchman, "Superbe!"--if an Englishman, "Crikey!!"
Richard Harris Barham, 'The Auto-da-Fé', first printed in Bentley's Miscellany, vol. 10 (1841); collected in The Ingoldsby Legends · read it

Today

Modern exampleCrikey, that crocodile is bigger than the boat!

Fine to use today; it is a harmless, cheerful exclamation, especially in British and Australian English.

Originally a euphemism for 'Christ!'; no longer felt as profane.

Questions

What does crikey mean?

An exclamation of astonishment. Victorian slang dictionaries all explain it as a disguised form of 'Christ!' — Hotten calls it a 'profane exclamation of astonishment'. Today it is mild and especially associated with British and Australian speech.

When was crikey first used?

It is first recorded 1826 — first recorded date 1826 per Merriam-Webster; work not named (Green's has 'O crikey' from 1828 and a variant 'becrike' from 1812; Etymonline gives 1838).

Can you still use crikey today?

Fine to use today; it is a harmless, cheerful exclamation, especially in British and Australian English.

Sources

  1. crikey — Merriam-Webster
  2. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859), s.v. CRIKEY — John Camden Hotten (archive.org)
  3. Slang and its Analogues, vol. II (1891), s.v. CRIKEY — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
  4. crikey!, excl. — Green's Dictionary of Slang
  5. crikey — Online Etymology Dictionary
  6. The Ingoldsby Legends — Project Gutenberg #59236

Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above

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