Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. delirium tremens, a hangover.

c.1895		Actionable Offenses ‘The Tapeworm Story’ (2007) [cylinder recording ENHS 30194 ] The doctor said, ‘Dan, d’you know what will happen to you if you keep on drinkin’ in this manner,’ and Dan said, ‘Well, I don’t know, I suppose I’ll have the jimmies’ .
1900		J.C. Harris On the Wing 42: Take ’im to the hospital, Tim; ’tis the only way to clear the jimmies from his head [DA].
1905		F. Hutchison Philosophy of Johnny the Gent 76: ‘[He] starts yelpin’ like a guy wit’ the jimmies when the pink-faced baboon starts after him.

2. (US drugs) cocaine psychosis.

1907

Charlotte News (NC) 3 Apr. 9/1: ‘Cociane drives ’em crazy [and] makes ’em see things like the jimmies’.

3. a sense of fear, apprehension, a fit of depression; occas. in sing.

1918		in Stars and Stripes 16 Aug. 6: One who is skittish will surely get the jimmies [HDAS].
1927		B. Cormack Racket Act III: Well, with the jimmies you old woman’re in it’s a wonder you didn’t phone McQuigg.
1936		K. Mackenzie Living Rough 133: Come on, let’s get out of this joint. It gives me the jimmies.
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 177: It gives you the jimmies sometimes looking at it like this.
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 122: He had the jimmies and kept fidgeting about, unable to relax.
1966		D. Niland Pairs and Loners 97: Look, the stuff [a drug] he give you, that was – well – what you might call a jimmy-stopper. See? And sure, it was the same thing as he give Big Stafford, all right, only there was more of it. And so it acted as a jimmy-starter, if you get me. It was all in the dosage, don’t you see?