Does anyone know the origin of this expression? A friend (former postmaster) said he'd only heard it in New Mexico. I never used it until a friend (Florida via Sacramento) used it. Thanks in advance, cynthia

I'm guessing here, but it sounds like something that would have come out of the 40's Zoot Suit swing era. I would think the Jeez, or Geez, comes from Jesus, and then the obvious rhyming scheme.
I grew up on the Great Plains(South Dakota), and this was a familiar expression. I later ran into it again in Vermont when I was singing with a woman named Louise and it was in a lyric! we had great fun with it. still do!

Thank you; makes as much sense as anything.

It was/is "cheese Louise" in New England and is still heard.
I imagine the "cheese" is to avoid "taking the Lord's name in vain."
This might be a good query for Quinion's online newsletter.

one of my resolutions for the New Millennium was to use this phrase more often. so far I've failed totally.

actually®, I wondered if the Word Detective might have addressed this thorny subject. well,

Jeez Louise.

Dear Word Detective: My dad uses a word -- I can't spell it -- but it's something along the lines of "crimeny," with the accent on the first syllable. (That's a long "I," and the "e" is a schwa.) He uses it they same way people say, "Oh, for heaven's sake," or "Sheesh." A variation he uses is "crimenently," with the major accent on the third syllable, minor accent on the first. Does this word exist in anyone's vocabulary besides my dad's? If so, how is it spelled and where did it come from? -- Vicky Jones, Madison, WI.

Well, jeepers, it sure as shootin' is a goldurned real word. "Criminy" (which is how most dictionaries spell it) is simply a euphemism for "Christ." Euphemisms, of course, are words designed to act as linguistic fig leaves, disguising (supposedly) or softening the true meaning of the speaker's words in deference to the listener's (again supposedly) refined sensibilities. In practice, euphemisms rarely really fool anyone, although we all play along with the game and dutifully chuckle at a "goldurn" when we might well be offended by a blunt "goddam."

"Criminy" has been around at least since the 1600's, which makes it a charter member of a sub-class of English euphemisms designed to circumvent prohibitions against swearing oaths or taking holy names in vain. Other euphemisms involving substitutes for "Christ" include "cricky," "for chrissakes," "for Pete's sake," and the ever-popular "gee," which is short for "Jesus," as is my "jeepers" above. While we're at it, "gosh," "golly," "good grief" and "great scott" all arose as attempts to sidestep invoking the name "God." There's even evidence to indicate that "doggone" has nothing to do with dogs and everything to do with a garbled attempt to modify "God damn."

The "sheesh" you mention, incidentally, is a euphemism for an interjection still considered unprintable by most newspapers (but which I am confident my readers will be able to figure out). "Sheesh" is a much more recent arrival than "criminy," having first appeared (in print, anyway) in the early 1970's.

not only that, but furthermoreover and in the second place the Word Detective hisownse'f uses the phrase in a later column whilst giving long shrift to another of our favorite topics:

Jeez Louise, Chris, get with the program. Your co-worker was being "ironic" when he called news of your impending financial doom a "tidbit." This is The Age of Irony, remember? Saying the opposite of what you mean is cool. It also relieves you of taking anything seriously. So let a sly smirk be your umbrella as you walk to work, and if your boss passes you in his new Lincoln, well, that's sort of ironic too, isn't it?

The "sheesh" you mention, incidentally, is a euphemism for an interjection still considered unprintable by most newspapers (but which I am confident my readers will be able to figure out)."

His confidence is misplaced.

Does he deem "it" unprintable?

"sheesh" you can't figure it shee....it out?