1736: crikey Sep 16, 2019

The Victorians came up with lots of euphemisms for religiously inspired cursing. Some lasted, but like 'Crikey', now often associated with Australia, many were just exported. 'Crikey' was derived in mid-19th century off of the word 'Christ'. The term has since moved away from its religious connotations—perhaps the sign of a successful euphemism—and while it is used in many English-speaking regions, it also shows how slang can so easily change.

Watch more in our video here.