The AI-powered English dictionary
countable and uncountable, plural glims
(obsolete) Brightness; splendour.
(archaic, slang) A light; a candle; a lantern; a fire. quotations
'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
"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
'Sure enough, they left their glim here,' said the fellow from the window.
1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 5, in Treasure Island
(archaic, slang) An eye.
(archaic, slang) A pair of glasses or spectacles.
(archaic, slang) A look; a glimpse.
(archaic, slang) Gonorrhea.
(archaic, slang) Fake documents claiming the loss of property by fire (for use in begging). quotations
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
third-person singular simple present glims, present participle glimming, simple past and past participle glimmed
(obsolete, transitive) To brand on the hand. quotations
Profligate women were glimm'd for that villany.
1714, Memoirs of the Right Villainous John Hall
(dated, slang) To illuminate.
(dated, slang) To see; to observe. quotations
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