Wimble sb.

Now dial. or techn. Forms: 3–7 wymble, 4–5 wymbul, -il (5 -el, -ulle), 5–6 -yl(l, -lle, wymel(l (5 -ulle, 6 wyemblye), 5–7 womell (5 -yll), womble, (5 wommil, 6 -ill, womyl, -lle, wombill, wembel, whymble), 8 wimple, 8–9 whimble, 4– wimble (9 Sc. and north. wum(m)il, wummle, wimmel, etc.). [a. AF. *wimble (var. of *guimble, represented by rare 13th c. gymble, and the dim. GIMLET), ad. MLG. wiemel, (also Flem.) wemel (whence OSw. wimla, Da. vimmel), MDu. wimpel.]

  1.  A gimlet.

1295.  Acc. Exch. K. R., 5/8 m. 4 (P.R.O.). Et iiij. d. ob. in Wymbles emptis, [Ibid. (1296), 5/20 m. 5. In tribus Gymblis ferri emptis … vj. d.]

c. 1325.  Gloss. W. de Bibbesw., in Wright, Voc., 170. Terere [gloss wymble (nauger)].

1411.  Nottingham Rec., II. 86. j. parvum wymble, j d.

c. 1440.  Pallad. on Husb., XI. 85. Vnto the pith a ffrensh wymbul inbore.

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 528/2. Wymbyl, or persowre, terebellum.

1555.  Eden, Decades (Arb.), 154. So eaten with woormes, as though they had byn bored through with wimbles.

1577.  Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., II. 107 b. The haftes and handles of Wymbles and Augurs.

1636.  Featly, Clavis Myst., xxix. 377. As the wimble bores a hole for the auger.

1662.  Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., III. xxvi. § 1. 222. The little Wimble once entred, the Workman can then drive a great Nail.

c. 1781.  G. White, Selborne, To Barrington (1789), 275. The second [field-mouse] nibbles a hole with his teeth, so regular as if drilled with a wimble.

  b.  transf. and fig.

a. 1633.  G. Herbert, Jacula Prudentum, 955. Gifts enter every where without a wimble.

1719.  D’Urfey, Pills, IV. 81. Joan ’s a Piece for a Man to bore, With his Wimble.

1781.  Barbut, Gen. Insect., 287. The Gad-fly…. From the hinder part of their body, issues a whimble of wonderful structure.

1805.  Prisc. Wakefield, Dom. Recreat., iv. 62. The whimble is of an admirable structure, and consists of three pieces:… It is the most easily seen in the long whimbled fly.

  2.  An auger; also, a brace.

1362[?].  Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 565. Willo Couper ad reparacionem duorum Wymbles, quia fracta in opere Prioris, xij d.

1489.  Caxton, Faytes of A., II. xxxix. L ij. Men … with grete wymellis and awgours shal perce the ship undreneth.

1502.  Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 165. Perce y^e tree thorugh wyth a percer crosse wyse or wyth a wymble.

1573.  Tusser, Husb., xvii. (1878), 36. Cart ladder and wimble, with percer and pod.

1583.  Jewel, Serm. Paul’s Crosse, D j g. That part of the Carpenters wimble, which turneth about, goeth rounde, and by litle and litle draweth in the iron, or steele bit.

1621.  Shuttleworths’ Acc. (Chetham Soc.), 248. P’d for layinge 3 wimbles, vj^d.

1625.  Markham, Farew. Husb., II. vi. (1638), 32. A great Augure or wimble of Iron made to receive many bits one longer than another.

1677.  Moxon, Mech. Exerc., iii. 53. The other end of the Shank must be fitted into the square Socket of the Wimble.

1789.  Trans. Soc. Arts, I. 38. Hinges, Wimble, and Jack for Ship-Builders.

1824.  Carr, Craven Gloss., Wummle, an auger, a wimble.

  3.  An instrument for boring in soft ground, or for extracting rubbish from a bore-hole in mining.

1692.  Ray, Disc. (1693), 41. They bore this Earth or Soil with a long Wimble.

1708.  J. C., Compl. Collier (1845), 12. [He] puts or screws on the Wimble, or Scoop which takes up the cut stuff.

1789.  Brand, Hist. Newc., II. 678. The chisel is screwed off [the boring rod], and the wimple or scoop put on.

1881.  Raymond, Mining Gloss., Wimble, a shell-auger used for boring in soft ground.

  4.  attrib. and Comb., as wimble-bit, -bore, -hole, -like adj., -stock; † wimble-cock, a wimble-bit.

1583.  Shuttleworths’ Acc. (Chetham Soc.), 9. For towe broste *wyemblye bittes and a nale percell bitte, ij^d.

1628.  Toke (Kent) Estate Acc. (MS.), lf. 118. For 5 wimble bitts.

[13[?].  Childh. Jesus, 411, in Archiv neu. Spr., LXXIV. 332. With his fyngere he plukede hym owte Att a full littille *wymbilles bore.]

1808.  Jamieson, Wimblebore, a hole in the throat, which prevents one from speaking distinctly, S. in allusion to a hole bored by a wimble.

1607.  B. Barnes, Divils Charter, III. v. F 3. If I lye, call me thy *Wimble-cock.

1585.  Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 215/1. Foramen rotundum,… a *wimble hole.

1613.  Markham, Eng. Husbandman, I. iv. 14. Take a board … which shalbe bored full of large wimble holes.

1683.  J. Reid, Scots Gard’ner (1907), 88. Bore them [sc. wooden cases] full of auger or wimble-holes.

1845.  S. Judd, Margaret, II. viii. (1871), 288. Margaret pressed herself into the porch; *wimble-like, she pierced the stacks of men and women that filled the hall.

1601.  Holland, Pliny, XVI. xliii. I. 493. [Wood] excellent good for awgre-handles and *wimble-stocks.

1648–9.  in Swayne, Churchw. Acc. Sarum (1896), 219. A wymble stock and Nayles 1s. 4d.