Gee Willikers

Gee Willikers refers to a popular minced oath from the United States, similar to Geez Louise.

While both of these minced oaths are said to have been used to avoid saying Jesus H Christ, “Gee Willikers” is also said to refer to the holy city of Abrahamic religions, Jerusalem.

While the exact origin of minced oaths is especially hard to determine, since they have been avoided in print during the 19^th century, most sources point to the middle of the 1800’s, with many claiming that “Gee Willikers” was introduced to American English thanks to the mass immigration of Irish to the United States.

The first case of the titular phrase appearing in print can be placed to the middle of the 1800’s, appearing in the form “jewhilliken”.

“Gee Willikers” turned into a popular exclamation, used widely in the early 20^th century and on, appearing in countless movies, literary products as well as music.

It was first defined on Urban Dictionary on March 2^nd, 2004, with countless entries to follow.

The debated origin of the phrase has led to the creation of countless forum threads and discussions on its meaning and genesis, fueling its popularity and mystique.

“Gee Willikers” was also used as the title of a Spose song, uploaded to YouTube on April 16^th, 2012.

• Word-detective.com – Gee willikers
• Reddit.com – r/etymology
• Lexico.com – gee willikers
• Urbandictionary.com – Geewillikers