Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. of individuals, attractive, intelligent.

1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 390: To think of Jack Dawkins – lummy jack – the Dodger – the Artful Dodger – going abroad for a common two-penny-halfpenny sneeze-box!
1843–4		Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1995) 216: Lummy Ned of the Light Salisbury, he was the one for musical talents.
1907		D. Stewart Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 15 June 12/1: ‘Miss Phoebe is no kid — she’s a big, lummy girl now! Such a beauty!’.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 149: lummy An attractive female.

2. of inanimate objects, sensation, excellent, first-rate; thus lummy lick, a delicious mouthful; lumminess, pleasant things.

1846		Swell’s Night Guide 59: Hang me up high! a lummy pitch. This ere Brighton’s a slashing walk of trade. Right as a jemmy! – mizzle’s the word.
1848		A. Smith Idler upon Town 112: Oh my! vot a lummy tile.
1850		Man of Pleasure’s Illus. Pocket-book n.p.: By this lummy dodge the prima donna cops the swells as they return from business in town.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).
1877		‘’Arry on His ’Oliday’ in Punch 13 Oct. 161/1: The ‘bitter’ round here is just lummy, and as for their soda-and-B, / It’s ekal to ‘fiz,’ and no error.
1883		‘’Arry at the Royal Evening Fête’ in Punch 28 July 38/1: London’s gettin’ more lummy each day; there’s sech oshuns to see and enjoy!
1890		‘’Arry on the ’Oliday Season’ in Punch 16 Aug. 74/1: ’Ardly know which is lummiest, swelp me! It’s nuts to ’ook on to a swell.
1896		‘’Arry on Spring-Time and Sport’ in Punch 18 Apr. 184/3: In the Spring [...] youngmen’s fancies do seem on the turn / to love and to general lumminess.
1906		D. Stewart Vultures of the City in Illus. Police News 8 Dec. 12/3: ‘Perhaps we shall meet again at one of those lummy hotels what is sittiwated at Portland and Wormwood Scrubbs’.
1910		D. Stewart Tragedy of White House in Illus. Police News 13 Aug. 12/2: ‘Beautiful lummy new loaves of brown bread’.