Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to spoil, ruin or botch; to injure.

1912		D. Lowrie My Life in Prison 139: Men sometimes ‘jim’ themselves intentionally.
1927		(con. 1917) J. Stevens Mattock 187: Hard was swearing like fury at ‘the infernal war babies, the he-fluesy ninety-day wonders, such rotten officers they would even jim up service records’.
1930		J. Lait Put on the Spot 80: You know how to jim up that signal system. You used to be with the telephone company, so don’ make no mistakes.
1934		G. & S. Lorimer Stag Line 164: These wallies are all rubber socks with the wife around. A couple-a-mean looks like that one and it jims the best game going.
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 168: Bettah not jim me up! Bettah not mess me up!
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 110/2: Jim. (Chiefly Central and mid-Western States) To bungle.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 805: jim – To spoil or deface.

2. to fool around.

1900

A.H. Lewis ‘Arabella Weld’ in Sandburrs 167: What for be youse jimmin’ ’round me pick?