Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. an excl. of surprise or shock.

1941		The Coe College Cosmos (Cedar Rapids, IA) 19 Nov. 2/3: And if you can’t think of anything else to be grateful for, just be thankful you’re not a turkey. It can’t be too bad, though; they get the axe and we get the bird. Yikes!
1943		Wash. Post 16 May 3L/2: Indicating that the hallowed ‘Three B’s’ may play almost as vital a role as the ‘Four Freedoms’ in the restoration of world harmony (yipes!) is the announcement of the launching of a British chapter of the society, now a weekly feature on the B.B.C. schedule.
1950		Crime Smashers Oct. 27: [comic] Yipe! You were trysting with a sweetie minus a chaperone, hey?
1953		in Oakland [Calif.] Tribune16 Aug. M-4/5: ‘Bet-Betty, there’s your mother.’ ‘Huh? Where? Yikes! Sh-sh, hide the cat.’.
1960		Mad mag. June 49: ‘Yipes,’ I wailed, ‘you come from boozing.’.
1961		J. Kirkwood There Must Be a Pony! 223: That would have gone over like a lead balloon. Yipe!
1963		F. Kohner Affairs of Gidget 95: Yikes! From Franzie back to Miss Hofer.
1971		Aus. Women’s Wkly 19 May 45/2: Yikes! ‘Up there,’ continued Ernie.
1982		Beano 17 Apr. 18: Yikes! What’s that?
1986		S. King It (1987) 727: ‘Yeeick,’ he said.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 73: Yipes, it was feedtime all over again for the old hip pocket.
1998		D. Clowes Ghost World 23: ... Yikes! Don’t look.
2007		T. Dorsey Hurricane Punch 269: ‘Yikes!’ Coleman dove onto the backseat floor and covered his head.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] ‘My publishing Nick’s books has nothing to do with nepotism and everything to do with the quality of the work.’ Yikes.
2011		Observer Mag. 20 Feb. 20/3: And when I ask about girls - yikes!
2023		J. Jackson Pineapple Street 137: ‘Oh, God, yikes.’ ‘What?’ My mom texted that there is a bat in the basement and my dog is trying to catch it’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1999

K. Sampson Powder 104: Ticky made an embarrassed ‘yikes’ face and took the plunge.