Etymology of exclamation "jiminy crickets"

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>     I'd like to fill in a small gap in HDAS, viz. the etymology of the
> exclamation of surprise "jiminy crickets." HDAS (perhaps following other
> sources) says: "elab. of earlier _jiminy_, var. of _Gemini_."
>
>     A better etymology than "Gemini" is the  German interjection
> "jemine," known to derive from Latin "Jesu domine" (e.g., Kluge,
> _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Sprache_). "Crickets" would be
> a substitution for the partially similar-sounding "Christ" to avoid
> speaking a sacred name in vain.
>
>     German "jemine" (= oh dear, oh gracious) also appears in the extended
> forms "ojemine" and "herrjemine", with shortened variants "oje" and
> "herrje." (Here, German "Herr" = Lord).

I don't know whether it's "better", but it's a reasonable alternative. The
one which is better is the one which is true ... or the one better
supported by the historical record ... IMHO.

My OED shows both "Gemini" = "twins" and German "Jemine" etc. as
alternatives (under "Gemini").

Doesn't it seem probable that words like this originated with speakers
altering "Jesus" etc. in mid-utterance to avoid blasphemy (with or without
premeditation)? I believe this seems likely, and I suppose it's the
'conventional wisdom' too (any expert please correct me if necessary).

Then "Jiminy" (as an interjection) would be presumptively a euphemism for
"Jesus" from the start, although in the guise of some other word, either a
real pre-existing word or a spur-of-the-moment invention. It may not be
possible to know why the first users of the euphemism formed it this way,
and in fact they may not have been unanimous in their choices of model
words (e.g., one may have modeled this on a German equivalent, another on
the constellation, etc.). Of course once it became common people said it
simply because they heard others say it ... and maybe because it had a
'nice sound' or so.

And don't forget "Criminy", also old. Was it modeled on "Jiminy" (but with
implicit "Christ" rather than "Jesus")? Or was it from "Christe domine" or
so? Or ...?

-- Doug Wilson