Gee willikers

Posted by ESC August 30, 2001In 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."