Gee willikers

Posted by ESC on August 30, 2001

In Reply to: Gee willikers posted by James Beaton on August 30, 2001

: Is this the same as "Gee whiz"?

Yes. "Gee whillikens" dates back to 1857. I Hear America Talking: An Illustrated History of American Words and Phrases by Stuart Berg Flexner (Von Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1976). This substitution of a G-word for God follows ".the old Hebraic and Middle English tradition of avoiding the sacred words, such as God, by substituting words with the same initial letter." A Minced oath.

For more information, search the archives under "gee."