Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also nyum nyum, yum) anything deliciously pleasurable, esp. love-making.

1878		‘’Arry at the Play’ in Punch 2 Nov. in P. Marks (2006) 40: Connoobial yum-yum for ever!
1882		‘Paris Inside Out’ in Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 23 Dec. 6/2: [D]id not Europe mean Paris? and did not Paris mean—yum-yum?
1883		‘’Arry at the Royal Evening Fête’ in Punch 28 July 38/1: Pootiness, Royal Princesses, swell yum-yum, and general fun.
1886		N.Z. Observer and Free Lance (Auckland) 20 Mar. 23/3: B.L. says he would rather mash the ghirls than potatoes. Nyum nyum!
1890		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 July 9/2: One of Bret Harte’s sons has just had to pay 10,000 dollars for alienating the affections of the wife of one J. J. Smith. From this we conclude that young Harte has been finding material for old Harte’s stories of Sierran yum-yum, which are so circumstantial as to place it beyond doubt that either he or his son must have ‘been there.’.
1891		Sporting Times 7 Feb. 1/5: When the Lord-Lieutenant and his lady hold a Drawing Room, the ladies are kissed by His Excellenecy [...] M’yum, m’yum.
1898		R.A. Roberts [perf.] ‘A Change Will Do You Good’ 🎵 Tummy yum, yummy yum, lots of ‘Yum’ is good!
1900		Austin’s Hawaiian Wkly (HI) 17 Mar. 8/2: Even kissing now is dangerous too / There are microbes on the lips, / [...] / We had just as well be with he as she, / Since we can’t enjoy yum, yum.
1901		T. & G. LeBrunn [perf. Marie Lloyd] Come Along, Let’s Make Up 🎵 ‘There then! kiss u’'s yum-yum-yummy-yum, / Come along! let’s make its up’.
1908		Blue Grass Blade (Lexington, KY) 12 Jan. 3/2: The love of which Mae writes is not the platonic brand which is calculated to knock the yum-yum out of life.
1912		Sun. Times (Perth) 27 Oct. 8s/7: Eighty-five per cent is smoodge [...] Yards of yum-yum flashing forth.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 359: Lovers : yum yum.
1957		M. Shulman Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1959) 111: His night of candle-light and yum-yum with Angela Hoffa.
1983		P. Reading ‘At Home’ in Diplopic 25: A box of chocko yum-yums.
2012		Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 20 May 🌐 Little parcels of yum. Brissie’s Best Dumplings.

2. a pretty young woman.

1883		Eve. Star (Wash., DC) 17 Mar. 6/3: Yum-yum — don’t let on to the old man if he comes in.
1885		‘’Arry on ’onesty’ in Punch 31 Jan. 60/1: I always did say wot one wants at the Play is fair yum-yum and larks, / And now ’ere’s the horacles tipping their ditto to ’Arry’s remarks.
1886		N.Z. Observer and Free Lance (Auckland) 20 Mar. 23/4: Now boys here’s a chance, sweet sixteen and three hundred a year. Yum yum!
1890		‘’Arry on the ’Oliday Season’ in Punch 16 Aug. 74/1: A fornight at Margit meant yum-yum to look for and dream on o’ nights.
1956		‘James Updyke’ [W.R. Burnett] It’s Always Four O’Clock 118: I saw Rita leaning on her elbows with her back to the bar [...] ‘Hi, yum-yum,’ I says.

3. the vagina.

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

4. (Aus.) a boyfriend.

1914

Sport (Adelaide) 7 Mar. 5/2: They Say [...] That J. Mc. and her little ‘Yum Yum’ are going strong.

5. (US) cunnilingus.

c.1928

B. Mitchell ‘Two Old Maids in a Folding Bed’ 🎵 I gotta have some yum-yum-yum / [...] / Before you go to sleep.

6. (US) a desirable object.

1929

W. Winchell On Broadway 19 Aug. [synd. col.] [He] showered her with jewels and [...] other yum-yums.

7. (drugs) any drug in pill or capsule form.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 168: Other expressions likened Seconal to [...] ‘food’ that nourishes you – apples, yum yums, jellybeans.