Tudor & Stuart · oath · interjection
Jiminy
JIM-i-nee /ˈd͡ʒɪməni/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recorded1686 (as “jemminy”)
A mild exclamation of surprise. It developed from the older oath 'Gemini!' and is generally explained as a disguised 'Jesu Domine' or 'Jesus'; the extended 'Jiminy Cricket' (by 1848) is likewise a euphemism for 'Jesus Christ'.
Where it was first recorded
Thomas D'Urfey, A Commonwealth of Women (1686), epilogue: 'Oh jemminy!' — the earliest 'jemminy' citation in Farmer & Henley (whose older GEMINI entry begins with 'O Gemini!', 1672) and the earliest in Green's; the 'Jiminy' spelling is dated 1803 by Etymonline.
Also spelled: jemminy, jeminy, gemini, by jiminy, Jiminy Cricket, Jiminy Christmas
In its own time
“Woman, indeed!” said a treble at the door! “no more than I am; it's for a young lady. O jiminy!”
Today
Modern exampleJiminy, that's the third flat tyre this month!
Fine to use today; it sounds quaint and wholesome.
Generally explained as a disguised form of 'Jesus'; harmless today.
Questions
What does jiminy mean?
A mild exclamation of surprise. It developed from the older oath 'Gemini!' and is generally explained as a disguised 'Jesu Domine' or 'Jesus'; the extended 'Jiminy Cricket' (by 1848) is likewise a euphemism for 'Jesus Christ'.
When was jiminy first used?
It is first recorded 1686 (as “jemminy”) — Thomas D'Urfey, A Commonwealth of Women (1686), epilogue: 'Oh jemminy!' — the earliest 'jemminy' citation in Farmer & Henley (whose older GEMINI entry begins with 'O Gemini!', 1672) and the earliest in Green's; the 'Jiminy' spelling is dated 1803 by Etymonline.
Can you still use jiminy today?
Fine to use today; it sounds quaint and wholesome.
Sources
- Jiminy — Online Etymology Dictionary
- Slang and its Analogues, vol. III (1893), s.v. GEMINI; vol. IV (1896), s.v. JEMINY — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
- jiminy!, excl. — Green's Dictionary of Slang
- jiminy — Wiktionary
- Hard Cash (Charles Reade) — Project Gutenberg #3067
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above