Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a mild oath; euph. for Jesus! excl. or shit! excl.

1960		Press & Sun-Bulletin (Binghampton NY) 12 Dec. 21/4: George: You keep saying ‘Sheesh!’.
1968		Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI) 16 Jan. 29/4: ‘Sheesh, who’s chasin’ them dames?’.
1979		Fantastic Four Annual 21: Sheesh! I just don’t get no respect!
1980		Batman No. 321 9: Sheesh ... What a joke!
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 53: ‘Sheesh. Willya get a loada that’.
1989		(con. 1960) P. Theroux My Secret Hist. (1990) 92: ‘Sheesh,’ he said, exasperated.
1994		J. O’Connor Secret World of the Irish Male (1995) 166: Sheesh, the man really does seem to know a lot about air.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 sheesh 1. a non-offensive expletive. Origin: to replace the word ‘shit’. (‘Sheesh, don’t freak out!’).
1999		Indep. Rev. 26 July 2: Sheesh, and these are meant to be the bright ones!
2011		‘Jack Tunney’ Split Decision [ebook] Sal past his prime and me and his other sluggers at the peak of ours. Sheesh, that was a sad state of affairs.
2015		Albuquerque Jrnl (NM) 18 Jan. 60/6: ‘Sheesh! Can’t a guy shoplift without being attacked by aggressive sales-people?’.
2019		C. Hammer Silver [ebook] ‘Fights and brawls and domestics, sure [...] but murder? Sheesh’.