ENGLISH
REFERENCE

jimmy

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈdʒɪmi// UK //dʒˈɪmi// jim·my Archaic Dialect Informal Slang

n. a metal tool used to force open a locked door or window. It is a slang name for a small crowbar used by thieves.

n. a short crowbar or similar metal bar used by burglars to lever open windows and doors. Informal in register; often used as a metonym for the act of breaking and entering.


SIMPLE

The thief used a jimmy to open the back window.

CONTEXTUAL

Police found a jimmy and other specialized tools in the suspect's bag during the search.

COMPLEX

The heavy oak door resisted the intruder's jimmy, leaving only deep gouges in the wood as evidence of the attempted forced entry.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Jim + -y.

Etymology 2

From the initialism GM (/ˌd͡ʒiˈɛm/), by jocular alteration of sound playing on the diminutive given name.

Usage

Commonly used as a noun for the tool, but also functions as a transitive verb meaning to pry something open.

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