Jimmy the lock

Posted by Lotg on September 18, 2003

We were watching a crime thriller, when one of the clues was that the 'perp' 'jimmied the lock'. OK, I know what that means, but when I asked my partner how the term originated, he knowledgeably informed me that the 'perp' use a 'jimmy bar' to break in.

Fine. So I asked him what a 'jimmy bar' was and why it was so named - and he gave me that embarrassed, drop kick, oops - wish I'd never spoken look, and I realised he had no idea what the term meant or where it came from.

So does anyone know, either how the term 'jimmy the lock' originated, or what a 'jimmy bar' is?

Thanks for any answers.

  • Jimmy the lock Gary Martin 18/September/03