krick

"It must be 'krick' indeed," said Aunt Emma, "if we want to get home to-night."

Milly and Olly Humphry Ward 1885

The vulgar American pronunciation often shows itself, as in heist for hoist and krick for creek.

Chapter 2. Non-English Dialects in America. 1. German Henry Louis 1921

Krick -- krick -- krick, there, she is talking; that's her way of saying

The Insect Folk Margaret Warner Morley 1890

"Then they would put us into some black boxes," said Olly, cheerfully, with his mouth full of bread and butter, "and they would put the black boxes into some boats, and take us right away and bury us krick -- wouldn't they, mother?"

Milly and Olly Humphry Ward 1885

Mother, the fly-catchers do fly so krick; I can't see them sometimes when they're flying, they go so fast.

Milly and Olly Humphry Ward 1885

"If we were in there now," said Olly, watching the river with great excitement, "the water would push us down krick! and the fishes would come and etten us all up."

Milly and Olly Humphry Ward 1885

Olly begged nurse to put him to bed very early, that he might "wake up krick" -- quick was a word Olly never could say.

Milly and Olly Humphry Ward 1885

"Sometimes I goes a-fishin on the krick, and sometimes I plays marvels," replied Wat, gaping extensively as he spoke.

Some Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs, Late of the Tallapoosa Volunteers; Together with "Taking the Census," and Other Alabama Sketches. By a Country Editor. With a Portrait from Life, and Other Illustrations, by Darley 1845

Then I struck for the mountain country high up in Jurgy, and I finds me a place by the side of a nice big krick; and thinks I, nobody never kin pester me here, certain; for ef they git down in the bottom, they'll be overflowed, and ef they ondertake to bild housen on the hill-sides, they're so durned, infernal steep, they'll have to rope 'em to the trees!

Some Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs, Late of the Tallapoosa Volunteers; Together with "Taking the Census," and Other Alabama Sketches. By a Country Editor. With a Portrait from Life, and Other Illustrations, by Darley 1845

It's just not cricket has nothing to do with the insect (from an onomatopoeia, via French criquet), but with the game (Flemish krick, a "stick," via an archaic French word for goal post).

VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XII No 1 1985