gimp (n.) Silk, wool, or cotton tape used for edging. In 1774 Alexander Bartram advertised in a Philadephia newspaper, “pinchbeck, hand stilliards, gimp, and glover’s needles.”
– Colonial American English: A Glossary
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And, in case you were wondering:
pinchbeck (n.) An alloy of four parts of copper to one part of zinc, used to imitate gold in cheap watchcases, invented by Christopher Pinchbeck, a London watchmaker (1670-1732). A 1754 South Carolina newspaper advertised: “An assortment of gold, silver and Pinchbeck watches.”
Veda Taylor
March 11, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Interesting. They still sell gimp for making bracelets but now it’s plastic. I’ve also heard it used as a derogatory slang for ‘disabled’. Never knew what the word actually meant.