Oomis, apy’s Rebbe uses the phrase “gee golly” all the time. It bothers me a bit but I still listen to him because he’s a great speaker. I’ve been listening to him for over 6 years now. “
APY’s great speaking ability (and I concur), notwithstanding, the X-tians initialized the use of the shortened form “gee” to avoid taking the full name of their lord in vain. It is short for what it is short for, there is no question about that. No Yid should knowingly use that expression, just as they should not say “Criminy” as an expletive, because it also is a euphemism for the latter part of their deity’s name.
I know I sound a little retentive here, but it is clear that many people use this very common expression without realizing what they are actually saying. They would not start a sentence with the whole name, so why start it with what is really the “nickname?” (Some people add a “z” at the end of the word, and it is more obvious what it stands for, in that case).