"crimenentles," anyone?

[Wilson Gray]

On 1/7/06, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "crimenentles," anyone?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> When I was young[er] I sometimes heard (my spelling, but probably from some
> printed instance) "criminently" /kraim at nEntli/  in Detroit. I take this to
> be an elaboration of "criminy". Quick glance at N'archive shows this
> exclamation (spelled "crima-", "crime-", "crimi-") back to 1941.
>
> -- Doug
>


I agree with Doug that it is, or was, "criminently," with stress on
the -NENT-. I remember hearing it during the radio days in the '40's
on shows like, "Meet Corliss Archer," "Henry Aldrich," "Our Miss
Brooks," etc. I've never heard it in real life, though.

-Wilson

-Wilson Gray