What it means
A classic Aussie exclamation for surprise, shock, or that split-second mild panic when life goes a bit sideways. It's the clean-ish yelp you drop instead of a full swear, especially around kids, nan, or anyone you don't fancy offending. Still very Australian, still alive in everyday speech, whether it's a monster spider, a brutal bill, or a near miss on the road.
Usage examples
"Crikey, that servo wants ten bucks for a meat pie. Yeah nah, chuck us a snag from Bunnings instead, mate. Fair dinkum, daylight robbery out here."
"Crikey, there is a huntsman spider the size of a tea saucer in the corner of the bedroom in the Adelaide Hills, and the dog is hiding behind the door of the laundry room while the kookaburras outside laugh at the entire situation."
"Crikey, the electricity bill for the apartment in Surry Hills arrived this morning and it is twice what it was last quarter, the landlord blames the new air conditioner, but honestly the December heatwave did most of the damage by itself."
"Crikey, did you see the size of that pothole? Nearly lost the whole ute in it on the way to footy."
"Crikey, Mum's gone feral over the power bill again. Nobody touch the air con unless you fancy a lecture."
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Where it comes from
Crikey is a minced oath that grew out of British English, used as a softened stand-in for Christ by the 19th century. It travelled to Australia and really dug its boots in there, where it stayed common long after it faded in Britain. Steve Irwin later turned it into a global Aussie calling card.
Other ways to say it
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