jimmy
jimmy Lexical Profile
jimmy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A short crowbar or metal lever with a curved end, typically used for prying open locked doors, windows, or crates.
"The carpenter used a small steel jimmy to pry the old wooden molding away from the wall."
American Tiny rod-shaped bits of chocolate or brightly colored sugar used as a topping for ice cream, cakes, and other desserts (almost always used in the plural, 'jimmies').
"She ordered a vanilla ice cream cone topped with chocolate jimmies."
• verb
North American To force or pry open a lock, door, or window using a short crowbar or similar improvised tool.
"After locking his keys inside the house, he had to jimmy the basement window to get back in."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, the tool and verb are typically spelled and pronounced 'jemmy', whereas 'jimmy' is the standard form in North American English. In the plural ('jimmies'), it is used regionally in the northeastern United States to mean confectionery sprinkles.
• Rhymes for jimmy
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived in the 19th century as a playful occupational nickname from 'Jimmy', a familiar diminutive of the given name James, following a common historical pattern of giving human names to everyday tools and implements.