Green’s Dictionary of Slang

nim v.

(UK Und.) to steal.

1604		Middleton Black Book line 741: I give and bequeath to you [...] especially the sixpenny rooms in Play-houses, to cut, dive, or nim.
1606		J. Day Ile of Guls III i: As I led him to his Chamber, I nimde his Chaine, and drew his Purse, and next morning perswaded him he lost it in the great Chamber at the Revels.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 27: In this plaine are situate diuers petty villages and hamlets, as Filchington, Foystham, Nymington, Liftingham.
1622		Massinger Virgin-Martyr II iii: hir.: Spungius, you are a pickpocket. spun.: Hircius, thou hast nimm’d.
1630		J. Taylor ‘Brood of Cormorants’ in Works (1869) III 8: The thieuing knaue the purse he nimbly nims.
1640		T. Rawlins Rebellion III i: If our Hell afford a Divell, but I see none Unlesse he appeare in a delicious remnant of Nim’d Sattin.
1658		R. Brathwait Age for Apes 259: My daintie-Doxie nims away their purse.
1663		S. Butler Hudibras Pt I canto 1 line 598: Detect who ’twas that nimm’d a Cloke.
1669		R. L’Estrange Fables of Anianus (1692) CCXLI 218: They could not for their Bloods keep themselves Honest of their Fingers, but would still be Nimming something or other for the Love of Thieving.
1674		C. Cotton Compleat Gamester 7: They will [...] nim your gold or silver buttons off your Cloak or Coat.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Nim c. to Steal, or whip off or away any thing. Nim a Togeman, c. to Steal a Cloak. Nim a Cloak, c. to cut off the Buttons in a Crowd, or whip it off a Man’s Shoulders.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 204: [...] Nim the crap, to steal the money. Wheedle for crap, to coax money out of anybody.
1727		J. Gay Beggar’s Opera I x: ’Twas only Niming Ned. [Ibid.] II x: I expect a Gentleman about this Snuff-box that Filch nimm’d two Nights ago in the Park.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1756		J. Cox Narrative of Thief-takers, alias Thief-makers 66: Somebody called out, hey Jack, where are you going? And the boy Swannick, the Prisoner, replied, that he was going to the Start for nimming a Cull in his Eye.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 530: A fellow that would nim a smock / From a hedge, if it were loose.
1788		‘Rolling Blossom’ in Festival of Anacreon in Wardroper Lovers, Rakers and Rogues (1995) 179: To Nimming Ned I went to bed / Who looked but queer and glumly.
1797		Sporting Mag. July X 230/2: Staff of the Nimming Tribe – on whose sole aid / Full oft I’ve plac’d reliance undismayed.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 125: Nim (v.) — to pick out, ‘nim a wipe or reader’.
1836		W.H. Smith ‘The Thieves’s Chaunt’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 121: But because she lately nimm’d some tin, / They have sent her to lodge at the King’s Head Inn.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1861		Melbourne Punch ‘City Police Court’ 3 Oct. 234/1: Prisoner.You see she was on the mooch, and happening to nim a prop from a swell’s fancy kingsman, a cakey-pannum-fencer, as ought to know better, peached on her.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1898		W.E. Henley London Types in Works 198: 105: Beef-eater, He shows that Crown the desperate Colonel nimmed .
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 141: nimm (fr Yid nemmen = to take) to remove something dishonestly; to steal.
1997		Share Slanguage.

In derivatives

nimming (n.) (also neman)

theft.

1623		Middleton & Rowley Spanish Gypsy II i: I mean filching, foisting, nimming.
1633		Massinger Guardian V ii: I am not good at niming.
1687		T. Brown Saints in Uproar in Works (1760) I 77: Bred up to plundering of hedges, nimming of cloaks [etc.].
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 58: neman stealing.

In phrases

nim a tatler (v.) [tatler n.]

to steal a watch.

1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 316: Stealing a watch (which among the lads is scientifically termed nimming a tatler, or nabbing a clicker).
1822		Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 299: I expatiated on the difficulty there would be in sweet’ning the cull for his nim’d tatler.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.