jimp

A young woman in a jimp dress walks through a spring garden.

Definition

1. Adjective (Scottish):
   • Slender and elegant: "jimp" describes something that is slim, graceful, and well-proportioned, often used to refer to a person's figure or appearance.
   • Scant or meager: In some contexts, "jimp" can also mean insufficient in quantity or amount.

Usage Examples

• Slender and elegant:

  • She had a jimp waist that was the envy of her friends. (A slender and graceful waist.)
  • The jimp branches of the willow tree swayed in the breeze. (Slim and elegant branches.)

• Scant or meager:

  • The farmer complained of a jimp harvest this year. (A meager or insufficient harvest.)
  • His jimp salary barely covered his rent. (A scant or inadequate salary.)

Advanced Usage

• "jimp and jimp": an idiomatic phrase meaning exactly equal or well-matched.

  • The two runners finished the race jimp and jimp. (They finished at exactly the same time or were evenly matched.)

• "to be jimp of something": to be short of or lacking something.

  • The village was jimp of food after the long winter. (The village had a shortage of food.)

Variants and Related Words

• Jimpness (noun): the quality of being slender or meager.

  • The jimpness of her figure was admired by all. (The slender quality of her figure.)

• Jimpish (adj): somewhat slender or meager.

  • The jimpish portion of soup left him still hungry. (A somewhat meager portion.)

Synonyms

• Slender: gracefully thin.
• Graceful: showing elegance in movement or form.
• Meager: lacking in quantity or richness.
• Scant: barely sufficient or not enough.

Related Idioms

• "jimp and trim": an expression meaning neat and slender.

  • She kept her garden jimp and trim. (Neat and well-proportioned.)

• "jimp as a willow": a simile meaning very slender and graceful.

  • The young dancer was as jimp as a willow. (Extremely slender and elegant.)