Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a thief.

1608		Pennyless Parliament of Thread-bare Poets 16: To the great Impoverishing of all Nimmers, Lifters and Cutpurses.
1614		T. Tomkis Albumazar III vii: ’Tis the cunningst nimmer Of the whole Company of Cut-purse-Hall.
1630		J. Taylor ‘Travels of Twelve-pence’ in Works (1869) I 71: To Sharkes, Stales, Nims, Lifts, Foysts, Cheats, Stands, Decoyes / T’a Cut-purse, and a pocket picking Hound.
1664		S. Butler Hudibras Pt II canto 3 line 209: Booker’s, Lilly’s, Sarah Jimmers / And Blank-Schemes to dis-cover Nimmers.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: nimmer a thief of the lowest order.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant n.p.: nimmer a fellow of the lowest order of thieves; a petty villain.
1821		Flash Dict. as Andrewes (1809).
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. n.p.: nimmer a thief of the lowest order.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open as Kent (1835).
1850		E.V. Kenealy Goethe: a New Pantomime 101: Here’s [...] a famed fogle-nimmer.