Etymologically
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jimmy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdʒɪm.i/[1]

Etymology

It is a variant of jemmy,[2][3][4] a burglar's crowbar (1811), apparently a special use of Jemmy or Jimmy, pet forms of the name James,[2][3][5][6] as with the mechanical uses of jack.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A short crowbar, especially a burglar's: 1848, as jimmey.[2][3][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The OED calls it a dialect and colloquial pronunciation of jemmy, occurring chiefly in America.[7] The verb, to pry open with a jimmy, is from 1893.[2][3][5] The name also gave rhyming slang such as Jimmy Grant “immigrant” (1845) in Australia and New Zealand, and naval slang Jimmy the One, a first lieutenant (1916).[7]

Timeline

  • 1811 – jemmy, a crowbar.[2]
  • 1848 – jimmy.[2][3]
  • 1893 – verb, to pry open.[2][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A short crowbar with curved ends, used especially by burglars.

Verb

  1. To force open with a jimmy: jimmy a lock.
  • jemmy
  • jack

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press