Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Jerusalem! excl.

also Gerusha!

used in a variety of mild oaths; euph. for Jesus! excl.

[US]Spirit of the Times (N.Y.) 8 Aug. 276/2: By Jerusalem!
[US]Durivage & Burnham Stray Subjects (1848) 69: Jerusalem! that’s great!
[US]T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws I 186: Oh, Jerusalem!
[US]Broadway Belle (NY) 12 Mar. n.p.: Such a dog! Jerusalem save us!
[US]C.H. Smith Bill Arp 136: I hate the whole Yanky nation. Jerusalem! how my blood biles!
[UK]J. Greenwood Unsentimental Journeys 222: Jerooslem, Tomkins! there’s a pair of balmorals!
[US]J. Miller First Fam’lies in the Sierras 60: Somebody [...] said ‘Jerusalem!’.
[US]H.B. Stowe Poganuc People 131: ‘Je-ru-salem,’ he exclaimed, ‘ef you hain’t ben and done it!’.
[UK]London Life 7 June 6/2: [She] despatches them reeling and stealing to their respective domiciles, to awake in the morning with, " Oh I Jerusalem!" heads splitting with drink, excitement, and sentiment.
[US] in F. Roe Army Letters from An Officer’s Wife (1909) 346: The man had opened his eyes wide, and almost gasped ‘Gee-rew-s’lum!’— then utterly collapsed.
[US]A.C. Gunter Mr Barnes of N.Y. 56: ‘Je-rue-sa-lem!’ [...] This last comes from a cattle king from Kansas.
[Aus]Dead Bird (Sydney) 3 Aug. 4/4: By Jerusalem, they’ll get the blues shortly.
[UK]Harrington & LeBrunn [perf. Marie Lloyd] The Wrong Man 🎵 Oh Jerusalem / I never was in such a plight before.
[US]Coconino Sun (AZ) 14 Jan. 3/2: Geerusalem!
[UK]Sporting Times 7 Apr. 1/1: [They] are paying over Olympia! Jerusalem!
[UK]Magnet 29 Feb. 16: Jerusalem! We’ll get no grub!
[UK]G. Stratton-Porter Harvester 394: ‘Jerusalem!’ said Doctor Carey rising stiffly.
[UK]W. Pett Ridge Madame Prince 193: Je-rusalem, but a natty piece of goods.
[UK](con. 1917–18) J.M. Saunders Wings (1928) 62: Geeroosalem, lookit ’at sojer boy.
[US]R.E. Howard ‘Pit of the Serpent’ Fight Stories July 🌐 Gerusha! And only a few months ago me and the Sailor [...] had done everything but knife each other in a twenty-round draw.
[UK]B. Lubbock Bully Hayes 4: ‘Jee-rusalem!’ burst out Captain Si.
[US](con. 1919) Dos Passos Nineteen Nineteen in USA (1966) 647: Jeerusalem, it makes me feel good to hear you, you old bum.
[Aus]Western Champion (Qld) 12 Dec. 3/2: You orter heard the charge next morning! Gee-roo-salem!
[Aus]S .J. Baker Aus. Vulgarisms [t/s] 6: Jesus: Jeez, jeewizz, gee, jiminy, by Jove, by George, by jingo, by jingies, jericho, jerusalem. [added in pencil: Jiminy Cricket.
[US]L. Sanders Pleasures of Helen 18: A drop of icy champagne slid off Helen’s glass [...] down between her breasts, down, down, down. . . . ‘JEE-rusalem!’ she gasped.

In exclamations

Jerusalem cricket! (also Jerusalem crickets! ...June-bugs!) [euph. for Jesus! excl.]

(US) a mild oath.

G. Thompson City Crimes (2013) 285: Vake up, or, by de big Jerusalem Cricket I’m bound to dump yer all off de stools!
[UK]Burnley Exp. 19 Feb. 3/5: [from Hartford Times] He dashed them upon the floor and jumped up and down on them [...] repeating the words, ‘Thunder and gimlets, cool enough’ — ‘Jerusalem crickets, cool enough’ — ‘By the jumping Jehosiphat, cool enough’.
[UK]Dly Gaz. for Middlesborough 25 Nov. 2/4: That unhappy man [...] exclaimed in amazement, ‘Great Jerusalem crickets’.
[US]L. Pound ‘Dialect Speech in Nebraska’ in DN III:i 62: Jerusalem, Jerusalem crickets, Jerusalem June-bugs. interj. ‘Jerusalem June-bugs! You’ll never not get me to believe that.’.
[US]L.W. Payne Jr ‘Word-List From East Alabama’ in DN III:iv 324: Jerusalem crickets, interj.