Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) used as the first half of a number of combs. that make up mild, euph. oaths, e.g. jumping beans! ...fire! ...fish-hooks! ...jigs! ...jingo! ...jings!

1815		D. Humphreys Yankey in England 21: For all his flouting at me [...] by the jumping jings, I’ll be up to him.
1824		R.B. Peake Americans Abroad I i: None of your flouting, by jumping jigs, I won’t stand it.
1833		Middleburg Free Press (VT) 22 May 1/2: ‘By jumping Joseph’.
1868		Waynesburg Republican (PA) 15 July 4/4: By the jumping geminy, I thought everybody knowed that.
1882		E.S. Ellis Huge Hunter in Beadle’s Half Dime Library XI:271 5/1: By the jumpin’ jingo!
1882		Leeds Times 25 Mar. 6/5: ‘Jumping Judas!’ he continued, ’if I ever sot [sic] eyes on that all-fired skunk again...’.
1900		O. Wister Jimmyjohn Boss and Other Stories 187: ‘Jumping Jeans!’ murmured the orator to himself.
1901		Monroe & Northup ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:iii 142: jumping Judas, n. Used in an oath. ‘By the jumping Judas’.
1902		S.E. White Blazed Trail 166: ‘Jumping fish-hooks!’ he cried. ‘Why, the river’s up six inches and still a comin’!’.
1905		J. London ‘All Gold Canyon’ Complete Short Stories (1993) II 1020: Jumping dandelions and happy hollyhocks, but that smells good to me!
1908		‘O. Henry’ ‘From Each According to his Ability’ in Voice of the City (1915) 229: Jumping jonquils! but it’s great out there.
1914		G.A. England ‘Rural Locutions of Maine and Northern New Hampshire’ in DN IV:ii 75: jumpin’ jewsharps! Exclamation, usually of surprise.
1917		F. Packard Adventures of Jimmie Dale (1918) I iv: By the jumping! [...] You got a head on you, Cap!
1920		Marvel 9 Oct. 15: Jumping jujubes, where’s he off to now?
1922		E. Raymond Tell England (1965) 255: Jumping Jupiter! What’s that?
1927		(con. 1914–18) L. Nason Three Lights from a Match 221: ‘Sixteen jumpin’ alamos,’ exclaimed Joyce.
1931		(con. 1900) L. Riggs Green Grow the Lilacs I iv: Jumpin’ toadstools!
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 55: Holy Jumpin’ Jimminy!
1936		L. Dent ‘Angelfish’ in Goulart (1967) 253: He [...] squawled, ‘Yumpin’ Yoseph!’.
1949		R. Mende Spit and the Stars 160: ‘Jumping butterballs!’ exclaimed the freshman, ‘That’s beautiful.’.
1954		Oh Boy! No. 21 6: Jumping Joe!! His undercarriage is stuck!!
1977		R. Coover Public Burning (1979) 137: I know the gloomy night before us lies like a black arse in a coal-hole, but jumpin’ jig-a-jig! we ain’t weak.