If you wonder what the phrase, Jeepers Creepers, means, you have found your answers. We will also be providing 20 similar phrases you may or may not have heard of.
It is not a complex phrase and many of us may already know what it means. Many of us may have heard of a song or a movie with this name.
Yes! There is a song and a movie, and both are titled Jeepers Creepers. They may not be able to portray the meaning of the phrase, however, but the search is over now.
Before we proceed, it is important to note that ‘Jeepers Creepers’ is an informal word that you may or may not find in your dictionary.
It also may not be considered a correct expression, being a minced oath. If you wonder what Minced Oaths mean, we’ve got you covered.
Meaning of Minced Oaths
Minced Oaths refer to a form of euphemism created by the deliberate mispronunciation or misspelling of a blasphemous or profane phrase or word.
It can also be formed by replacing one word in a phrase that is considered taboo.
An example of minced oaths is ‘O my Gosh’. As you may already know, the mention of ‘God’ in ordinary exclamations or statements is often considered blasphemous and wrong.
However, some choose to say ‘Gosh’ instead. Many still consider it more abominable to intentionally misspell the name of God.
While some other ‘meaningless’ words are given wrong meanings and considered profane, people make slight changes and consider them more acceptable. However, this is just a way of creating more informal words which are temporarily acceptable.
Not all minced oaths are misspellings, as explained earlier. Some are even more acceptable and less profane than others. An example is ‘O my Goodness’ as a replacement for ‘O my God’.
Meaning of Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers has no special meaning. It is almost the same as ‘O my Goodness’. Jeepers Creepers is an interjection often used to show three emotions;
- Surprise
- Fear
- Frustration
Surprise
When you are surprised by something you see or hear, you can say ‘Jeepers Creepers’ to show your amazement.
It often comes out impulsively but can only be so if you have learned to say this instead of the ‘blasphemous’ phrase it is meant to replace.
Fear
People can exclaim several different things when they get scared and ‘Jeepers Creepers’ is one of them.
As stated earlier, it is meant to come out impulsively like several other interjections in situations of fear and surprise.
People often used profane and blasphemous expressions instead. It takes some discipline to say this instead.
Frustration
When we get frustrated, there are several things we can say, most of which are cuss words. Even ‘Cuss’ is a minced oath for ‘curse’, which refers to the act of swearing or using profane language.
We can say ‘Jeepers Creepers’ when we get frustrated. Using this phrase from time to time in situations of fear, surprise, and frustration can help in replacing other cuss words that can come in impulsively.
As mentioned earlier, ‘Jeepers Creepers’ is a minced oath. It is meant to replace ‘Jesus Christ’ as an exclamatory word.
As learned from the bible, the use of holy words such as God and Jesus Christ in ordinary unholy sentences is considered vain and blasphemous.
20 Phrases Similar to “Jeepers Creepers”
- Omg! (Oh My God/ Oh my Goodness)
- Jesus Christ! (Jeez!)
- Peepers
- Zounds!
- Whoa! (or Wow!)
- Holy Mary! Mother of Jesus!
- Cripes (Christ)
- Fork
- Holy Molly!
- Son of a gun (S. O. B)
- Shut the front door
- Holy crap.
- Gosh (Oh my Gosh)
- Heck (What the heck!)
- Tarnation
- Shoot
- Fudge
- Dang it. (Darn it)
- Jiminy cricket
- For goodness sake. (For chrissakes)
OMG! (Oh My God/ Oh my Goodness)
We all say OMG, although it actually started in text messages and on social media. It is also considered a better or more acceptable way of saying ‘O my God’.
As explained earlier, the mention of God in ordinary conversations is considered wrong by a lot of people. It may not be profane in any way but it’s considered blasphemous.
It has become a popular thing to say the letters O- M- G in situations of surprise or shock. It may also be used to express frustration or disappointment. Like other cuss words, it is often uttered without thinking.
If you find yourself saying this impulsively in certain situations and offending people, you may want to consider the most acceptable option which is ‘Oh my Goodness’. Goodness is a formal word and it sounds even nicer.
Jesus Christ! (Jeez!)
‘Jesus Christ’ is a holy name so you should know why it’s not acceptable as an interjection by many. It is not wrong to say the wrong.
It is just wrong if you are saying it in situations that don’t concern God or give glory to him. You can understand that it is not profane.
Rather, it is considered vain and blasphemous. In some places where religion is totally forbidden, this name can be considered taboo.
The minced oath for ‘Jesus’ is Jeez. You can consider this a good synonym for ‘Jeepers Creepers’. Here is something you may say when you are shocked or disappointed.
‘Jeez’ is still considered wrong by religious people. It changes the spelling of the name of Jesus.
It’s like changing the spelling or pronunciation of cuss words and expecting them to be more acceptable that way. However, that’s what minced Oaths are about.
Peepers
Have you heard this word ever? This one is quite different from the others on this list. It is not very popular so not many of us may have heard of it before now.
It doesn’t only sound similar to ‘Jeepers Creepers’ but it shares the same category as an informal word. You may find this word in the dictionary but not this meaning (at least not in every dictionary).
‘Peepers’ is not an exaggeration. It is not something you say when you are angry or super excited about something.
It is simply a slang word for another word. Yes! It is used to refer to that part of the body which we use to see things and peep at others.
This word also has a formal meaning. It refers to a person who finds pleasure in spying on others while they are doing whatever.
Zounds!
We are back to the interjections. Not many of us may be familiar with this word but you should have heard of this if you are an avid reader of old books. Many books in the Elizabethan era used this interjection.
This may be the only place you can find this word being used so you may not want to use this in your speech.
However, it doesn’t matter whether people understand your interjection or not. If you agree with me, you should believe that it’s easier to not offend anyone as long as they can’t discover any form of profanity or taboo in your speech.
Zounds is a minced oath for an even older expression; ‘God’s wounds’. ‘God’s wounds’ similar to the mention of God and Jesus Christ. It is a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus and is considered blasphemous.
Since ‘God’s wounds’ was considered blasphemous, people chose to say Zounds instead. Saying Zounds now will sound meaningless to many people so, technically, you are free.
Whoa! (or Wow!)
There is a difference between ‘Whoa’ and ‘Wow’, although they seem similar. Both are interjections but they are used differently.
When you say Whoa, it is often used to tell a person to stop. It is used to show surprise or shock to the massiveness of whatever is being reacted to.
The word can refer to both good and bad things. You may also hear a person say ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there’.
‘Wow’, on the other hand, mostly refers to positive things. When you say wow, you are showing a positive reaction of amazement to something massive or just amazing.
It may also be used as an ironic reaction to something disappointing. You would be showing surprise because you are getting what you did not expect.
Holy Mary! Mother of Jesus!
People actually say these five words together. You may not have heard this as an interjection. Possibly, you may have heard someone say just ‘Holy Mary’. It is also possible that you’ve heard someone say ‘Mother of Jesus’.
‘Holy’ is used in several contexts and expressions and is not often considered wrong. ‘Mary’, however, is another holy name that many people do not like to be called in vain. Many other names from the bible can get a pass.
Cripes (Christ)
We have Jeez. We have Cripes. Then we have Jeepers Creepers. Again, we can call them synonyms, though you won’t be asked.
As we already discussed, Christ is a biblical word. It is not just biblical but also respected and considered holy.
Therefore, it is considered blasphemous if the name is not called in holy situations only. The name is unacceptable to be called in ordinary situations of irritation or surprise.
Cripes is the minced oaths for Christ. This little change may be a tad too small to get rid of the aversion of many.
When you say Cripes, it still sounds so much like saying Christ. When used as an interjection, as it is meant to be, your listener will realize what you tried to say and there will be no use for explaining.
Fork
Is ‘Fork’ a cuss word? We all know what a fork is. It is an innocent silverware item used for eating. Where does the cussing come from then?
Well, it’s just like the word, ‘Peepers’, which has a formal meaning and an informal meaning also. Similarly, this meaning may or may not be found in the dictionary as a misspelling of the cuss word which we already know.
To avoid being reprimanded, the main word will not be mentioned. You can find this used in statements like ‘What the fork!’ or ‘Fork off’.
It is just a deliberate misspelling so you can only consider this a minced oath when it is written. It sounds the same as the word it is meant to replace so good luck explaining yourself in an oral conversation.
Holy Molly!
You just may have guessed the meaning of this already. Yes! It is a minced oath meant to replace a name that has already been mentioned on this list.
‘Holy Mary’ is a common term so this not-very-close minced oath will still be easily detected as a replacement for ‘Holy Mary’.
Some people may still consider this blasphemous due to the mention of ‘Holy’. However, not many people care about that. They often ignore the mention of ‘Holy’ but forbid the vain use of holy words.
‘Molly’ is another correct word that refers to an illegal dr^g. It is not being referred to in this context.
The expression ‘Holy Molly’ is a mere use of rhyming words, just like ‘Jeepers Creepers’. No one cares what the words mean individually.
Son of a gun (S. O. B)
We all have heard the word ‘Bitch’ and we can all agree that it is demeaning and profane. So is the infamous phrase, ‘Son of a bitch’.
‘Son of a b^tch’ is widely considered a wrong expression so people often abstain from using it in conversations.
Some people don’t give a fork… some people just use the minced oath versions. Some people simply say S. O. B and that is enough to pass their message.
Another minced oath that represents ‘Son of a bitch’ is ‘Son of a gun’. This expression may not be considered profane by some people while others just shut you up immediately after you say ‘Son of a…’
There are several other Minced Oaths for this particular expression, one of which is ‘Sonova’. This often depicts a person’s reluctance to say the cuss word.
Shut the front door
At first glance, you must have guessed what cuss this is meant to replace. You should already guess what an angry person is about to say when you hear ‘Shut’.
The speaker may actually be referring to a ‘front door’ but it really is meant to refer to the mouth. When a person says this, he or she implies that you shut your mouth.
‘Shut your mouth’ may not seem like a big deal to many people but it is still considered disrespectful.
While this doesn’t exactly make it better, people choose to say this instead for whatever reason there may be.
Holy crap.
This is another expression many people are averse to. While many don’t care about the use of ‘Holy’, some actually do. ‘Crap’, however, is generally considered profane so you can imagine the outrage when you not only say ‘holy’ in vain but also use it alongside profanity.
A minced oath for this expression is ‘Holy Molly’. Another is ‘Holy Cripes’. Neither of the two attempts to replace ‘holy’ because not many people care.
Gosh (Oh my Gosh)
We already discussed how much people get offended when they hear others use the name of God in vain. As a response to the aversion, the ‘others’ decided to create a minced oath for ‘God’.
Creating a minced oath for a holy name is considered to be even more blasphemous.
Instead of saying ‘God’, people now say ‘Gosh’. Instead of saying ‘Oh my God’, people now say ‘Oh my Gosh’. This, however, doesn’t fix the aversion.
Heck (What the heck!)
We have all heard this several times, no doubt. Heck is simply another way people choose to say ‘Hell’. Is ‘Hell’ also considered a holy name? We don’t know but it’s considered a cuss word so people used the minced oath instead.
Instead of saying ‘What the hell’, you can simply say ‘What the heck’. Neither of these two is accepted in some homes.
Tarnation
You may not have heard of this unpopular minced oath but you may be able to guess what it means. It is a misspelling and mispronunciation of ‘damnation’.
Apparently, ‘D@mn’ and ‘D@mnation’ are not accepted words in some places so you either avoid saying them or use minced oaths.
Shoot
This word has its formal meaning but it really cannot be mistaken. When you use it as an interjection, it is usually very clear.
It is another way of saying ‘Shit’.
Fudge
This is another minced oath for the same word ‘Fork’ is replacing. Instead of saying ‘What the f*ck’, you can choose to say ‘What the fudge’. You may also choose fork.
Fudge has its formal meaning but that doesn’t matter.
Dang it. (Darn it)
‘Damn’ is considered a wrong word so your homies found a way out for you to keep using the word without offending too many people.
Now, you can say ‘Dang’ or ‘Darn’. Both sound like ‘damn’ so they still won’t be ignored by many people.
Jiminy cricket
This is a perfect synonym for ‘Jeepers Creepers’. Both expressions are minced oaths for the same name.
Asides from this, both have no literal meaning and are only formed with the first letters of the name they are substituting.
For goodness sake. (For chrissakes)
People say ‘for God’s sake’ in situations that probably do not concern God and this can piss off religious people. As explained earlier, the use of God’s name in certain situations is blasphemous.
As an alternative, people say ‘For goodness sake’. Some may also say ‘For Chrissakes’ which replaces ‘For Christ’s sake’.