jimp

English

Etymology

Of unknown origin.

Adjective

jimp (comparative jimper, superlative jimpest)

1. (dated, Scotland, Northern England) neat; trim; delicate

   Synonyms: slender, handsome, spruce, elegant

   • 1899, Neil Munro, Gilian the Dreamer‎, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2007:

     Do I look so terrible old, Gilian, that you cannot think of me as not so bad-looking either, with a bonny eye, they said, and a jimp waist, and a foot like the honey-bee?

   • 1994, George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, Reprint edition, HarperCollins, published 2011, →ISBN:

     … Annette was on hand, stony-eyed but mighty jimp in a gown that seemed to consist of flowers and gauze.

2. (dated, Scotland, Northern England) scant; barely sufficient.

Noun

jimp (plural jimps)

1. A notch on the spine of a knife blade to increase grip, usually in sets of three or more (jimping).
2. Such a notch elsewhere on the knife (handle scales, liner lock, choil) for the same purpose (grippiness).

Derived terms

• jimply
• jimpness
• jimpy

See also

• gimp (Etymology 3)