or glym, subs. (old).—1. A candle, or dark lanthorn; a fire or light of any kind. TO DOUSE THE GLIM = to put out the light. Fr.: estourbir la cabande. Also short for GLIMMER or GLYMMAR (q.v.).
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. A Dark Lanthorn used in Robbing Houses; also to burn in the Hand.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 12. GLIM, a Candle.
1728. BAILEY, English Dictionary, s.v. GLIM. A candle or light.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Bring bess and GLYM; i.e., bring the instrument to force the door, and the dark lanthorn.
1821. W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, ii., 2. Tom. Then catch—here’s the gentlemen’s toothpicker, and here’s his GLIM. (Throws stick and lanthorn to Jerry).
1834. W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, bk. III., ch. 5. Every star its GLIM at hiding.
1837. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, ch. 16. Let’s have a GLIM … or we shall go breaking our necks.
1837. BULWER-LYTTON, Ernest Maltravers, Bk. I., ch. 10. ‘Hush, Jack!’ whispered one; ‘hang out the GLIM and let’s look about us.’
1848. E. Z. C. JUDSON (‘Ned Buntline’), The Mysteries and Miseries of New York, ch. iv. Old Jack bade Harriet trim the GLIM.
1883. R. L. STEVENSON, Treasure Island, p. 89. Sure enough, they left their GLIM here.
1884. W. E. HENLEY and R. L. STEVENSON, Admiral Guinea, ii., 6. Now, here, you see, is my little GLIM; it ain’t for me, because I’m blind.
2. (old).—A sham account of a fire as sold by FLYING STATIONERS (q.v.).
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i., 233. His papers certify any and every ‘ill that flesh is heir to’…. Loss by fire is a GLIM.
3. In pl. (common).—The eyes.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS.—Blinkers; daylights; deadlights; glaziers; lights; lamps; ogles; optics: orbs; peepers; sees; squinters; toplights; windows; winkers.
FRENCH SYNONYMS.—Les quinquets (popular = bright eyes, Vidocq); les mirettes (popular and thieves’; Italian: mira = sight); les reluits (thieves’: also DAYMANS—or LIGHTMANS [q.v.]); les calots (thieves’ = marbles); les châsses or les châssis (popular = hunters’); les lampions (thieves’ = LAMPS (q.v.); Italian: lanterna and lampante); les apics (thieves’); les ardents (thieves’ = piercers); les æillets (popular = eyelets; les lanternes de cabriolet (popular = giglamps); les clignots (popular = winkers); les carreaux (thieves’ = windows); les clairs (thieves’ = shiners); les coquards (thieves’).
ITALIAN SYNONYMS.—Lanterna (= a lamp); calchi; balchi; brunotti (= brownies); lampante.
SPANISH SYNONYMS.—Fanal (= lantern); lanterna (= idem); visantes (vulgar); vistosos (vulgar).
GERMAN SYNONYMS.—Dierling (from stieren = to stare); Linzer; Scheinling (from Schein = DAYLIGHTS [q.v.]).
1824. P. EGAN, Boxiana, iv., 417. His GLIMS I’ve made look like a couple of rainbows.
1830. BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford, p. 47 [ed. 1854]. Queer my GLIMS, if that ben’t little Paul!
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (The House-warming), II., 339. Harold escaped with the loss of a ‘GLIM.’
1892. MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, p. 56. A pooty gal, gentle, or simple, as carn’t use her GLIMS is a flat.
4. In pl. (common).—A pair of spectacles. For synonyms, see BARNACLES.
5. (common).—Gonorrhœa or CLAP (q.v.). [From sense 1 = fire.]
Verb (old).—To brand or burn in the hand.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. As the cull was GLIMM’D, he gangs to the Nubb, c., if the Fellow has been Burnt in the Hand, he’ll be Hang’d now.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 15. Profligate women are GLIMM’D for that villany, for which, rather than leave it, they could freely die martyrs.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
TO PUFF THE GLIMS, verb. phr. (veterinary).—To fill the hollow over the eyes of old horses by pricking the skin and blowing air into the loose tissues underneath, thus giving the full effect of youth.
