Dictionary

glim en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ɡlɪm/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English glim, glimme (“radiance; shining brightness”), of uncertain further origin. Perhaps from Old English gleomu (“splendor”) and/or Old Norse *glim, *glima, both apparently from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). Compare Norwegian Nynorsk glim, dialectal Old Swedish glim, glimma.

Meanings

1. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Brightness; splendour.
2. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) A light; a candle; a lantern; a fire.
   • "Come along here, I'll give ye a glim in a jiffy;" and so saying he lighted a candle and held it towards me, offering to lead the way. 1851, Herman Melville, chapter 3, in Moby-Dick:
   • 'Let's have a glim,' said Sikes, 'or we shall go breaking our necks, or treading on the dog. Look after your legs if you do!' 1837, Charles Dickens, chapter 16, in Oliver Twist:
   • 'Sure enough, they left their glim here,' said the fellow from the window. 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 5, in Treasure Island:
3. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) An eye.
4. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) A pair of glasses or spectacles.
5. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) A look; a glimpse.
6. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) Gonorrhea.
7. (archaic, countable, slang, uncountable) Fake documents claiming the loss of property by fire (for use in begging).
   • Tayler Tom lent me a shillin wish I send inklosed and yu must porn sumthing for anuther shilling and get Joe the Loryer to rite a fake for William not a glim (loss by fire) but a brakd say as e ad a hors fell downe with the mad staggurs an broke all is plates and dishes an we are starvin you can sa that the children is got the mesuls[…] 1851, Henry Mayhew, “Of the 'Screevers,' or Writers of Begging-Letters and Petitions”, in London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1, page 312:

Forms

Deriveds

glimflashy (eye)

glim en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ɡlɪm/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English glim, glimme (“radiance; shining brightness”), of uncertain further origin. Perhaps from Old English gleomu (“splendor”) and/or Old Norse *glim, *glima, both apparently from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). Compare Norwegian Nynorsk glim, dialectal Old Swedish glim, glimma.

Meanings

1. (obsolete, transitive) To brand on the hand.
   • Profligate women were glimm'd for that villany. 1714, Memoirs of the Right Villainous John Hall:
2. (dated, slang) To illuminate.
3. (dated, slang) To see; to observe.
   • About 9 o'clock he showed up and he knew me the moment he glimmed me. 1918, Tommy West, The Long, Long Trail in the World of Sport:
   • Heibers further states he glimmed the following on Maxwell Street on a Sunday morning[…] 1943 December 11, “Pipes for Pitchmen”, in Billboard, page 55:

Forms