Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und., also glim, glimmar, glymmer) fire; thus a lantern etc.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: glymmar, fyre.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching Ch. 16: Glymmar in their language is fier.
1608		Dekker in Belman’s Second Nights Walk B2: Glymmer signifies fire.
1612		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ O per se O O3: When the Dark-mans have been wet, thou the crack-mans downe didst beate, For Glymmer.
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O2: Doxie oh! thy Glaziers shine, as Glymmer; by the Salomon.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 49: Glymmer, Fire.
a.1674		‘A Wenches complaint for . . . her lusty Rogue’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 17: [as cit. 1612].
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Glimmer, fire.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Glymmer fire.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 196: And Jybe well jerk’d, tick rome conseck, / for back by Glimmar to maund.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: He taught his Pupil a deal of canting Words, telling him [...] Glymmer, a Fire.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. n.p.: glimmer, c. fire.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 115: A Fire The Glim.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict.
1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Glymmer, fire, (cant).
1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: Glimmer. Fire. Cant.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant n.p.: Glymmer the fire.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1796].
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict. n.p.: Glimmer a lighted candle.
1854		N.Y. Pick (NY) 29 Apr. n.p.: When the halmanack says it’s moonlight, I put out the glimmers.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 37: glimmer The fire.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 3 July 4/2: Sporty thinks it advisable [...] to buy Sam a new lamp for his shop. The old glimmer is looking a bit out of date .
c.1940–5		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 104: Some day I may call, stuff you into your own oven, and roast you on the glimmer.

2. (also glim, glimmar, glymmer) venereal disease.

1612		Dekker O per se O N3: Their female furies come hotly and smoaking from thence, carrying about them Glymmar in the Prat [...] oftentimes there is Glymmar in the Jocky.
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O3: Dimber Damber fare thee well [...] And thy Jocky bore the Bell, Glymmer on it never fell.
a.1674		‘A Wenches complaint for . . . her lusty Rogue’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 17: [as cit. 1637].
1707		‘Rum-Mort’s Praise of Her Faithless Maunder’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 35: [as cit. 1637].
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict.

3. the eye; often in pl.

1814		Sailor’s Return I vi: Get out of my way, you booby, or I’ll darken your glimmers for you . Madam never refuses to see Ben Block.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 110: [I] was enabled to return the compliment with interest, by sewing up one of his glimmers.
1885		Leics. Chron. 30 May 9/1: I went to hang a smile in front of me. / But weeps were in my glimmers when I tried.
1901		W. Irwin Love Sonnets of a Hoodlum XXI n.p.: I went to hang smile in front of me, But weeps were in my glimmers when I tried.
1912		A. Berkman Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1926) 130: Had a scrap wid de screws. Almost knocked me glimmer out.
1922		Appleton Post-Crescent (WI) 4 May 9/4: Flapper Dictionary glimmers – Eyes. [Ibid.] 10 May 13/6–7: put the glimmers on – Take notice.
1922		Ogden Standard Examiner 12 Apr. 6/5: I got my glimmers on Tommie Smith.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. of Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: glimmer. ‘The Eye.’.
1927		(con. 1890s) H. Asbury Gangs of N.Y. 276: ‘I only give her a little poke,’ he exclaimed. ‘Just enough to put a shanty on her glimmer. But I always takes off me knucks first.’.
1936		Cairns Post (Qld) 23 May 4/2: Glue your glimmers on these gifts.
1945		C. Himes ‘Make with the Shape’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 113: Johnny’s blackened glimmer didn’t blind him to the fact that her objective was mayhem.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Coffin for a Coward’ in Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 Now it was her beautiful map that was falling apart. Her crimson kisser hung slack, her glimmers bulged like squeezed grapes and her complexion was floury.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 82/2: Glimmers. The eyes; eyeglasses.
1955		Babs Gonzales ‘The Be-Bop Santa Claus’ 🎵 When his glimmers fell on a red Cadillac.

4. (US) a match; a locomotive headlight; a kerosene lamp.

1945

F.H. Hubbard Railroad Avenue 344: Glimmer – Locomotive headlight.

5. (US) a cut gem.

1917

J. Lait Gus the Bus 53: If dey ketches me wit’ dis here glimmer on me, I goes to stir.

6. a person who watches vacant motorcars.

1933

‘George Orwell’ Down and Out in Complete Works I (1986) 176: These (omitting the ones that everyone knows) are some of the cant words now used in London: [...] A glimmer – one who watches vacant motor-cars.

7. (US) a black eye.

1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
1939		Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl.

8. an electric light, a torch.

1914		Sport (Adelaide) 5 June 4/6: What price Milo Quick being caught [...] for not having a glimmer on his motor road louse.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 117: A paper bag was wrapped around the overhead glimmer to curb the brightness.
1959		‘Screwsman’s Lament’ in Encounter n.d. in Norman Norman’s London (1969) 67: We went round to my gaff, to get my turtle doves, / My stick, tools and glimmer, which every screwsman loves.
1976		(ref. to 1930s–70s) R. Barnes Coronation Cups and Jam Jars 206: Glimmer – Torch.

9. a beggar, esp. one who claims to have lost all his possessions in a fire.

1946		S. Jackson Indiscreet Guide to Soho 121: Whining ‘glimmers’ who tell hard-luck stories.
1950		P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 190/2: Glimmers. Men who tell hard-luck stories [...] Glimmer. A beggar.
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 186: Glimmer A beggar.

10. (US) a sight, a view.

1960

C. Cooper Jr Syndicate (1998) 24: Making sure my pumpernickel pal got a good glimmer before I set off.