Creeping Jesus

[tartanwiz]

What does this expression mean and where does it come from?

[Quizmonster]

The earliest use of the phrase was in a work by William Blake published in 1818. In his case, he was actually referring to some sort of real anti-Christ. Since then, it has taken on the meaning of anyone who moves around cringingly or secretively.

[waynepompey]

What does the "H" mean in the saying Jesus "H" Christ ?

[Adulmus]

The 'Jesus' infers a person of absolute discretion and integrity. Unfortunately, those who confide in that person often discover too late the meaning of the 'Creeping' element of the nickname, because their confidences have been betrayed and used to destroy them. A Creeping Jesus is, typically, the office sociopath, the co-operative charmer, who suddenly and bafflingly abandons or turns against everyone who helped them get on. That is because the CJ is now busily targeting a new set of perceived rivals standing in the way of his or her ambition and is becoming their nice, new, friendly colleague.

[mrmustard]

There's plenty of explanations of the expression if you Google it. I can remember it being used by Mum and Dad back in the early 60s who gave our insurance collector this unflattering sobriquet. He just seemed to appear suddenly from nowhere and be standing in the kitchen awaiting his weekly payment. I'm not going to divulge his name or company for obvious reasons, but I still have a chuckle remembering either of my parents whispering, "Eh up! It's Creeping Jesus!" Obvious examples from literature would be Uriah Heep and Grima Wormtongue. Think of those two and you'll on the right lines.