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gimble

gimble

1 9.9
A small hand tool used to make holes in wood
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : gimble
  • In old houses, you might find tools like a gimble still tucked away in the attic.

Examples

  • She learned to use a gimble for crafting intricate designs in her woodworking projects.

  • In gimble, it is hard since both sources link the meaning to that of "gimlet."

    Blog text (7)
  • "Gyre" and "gimble": again, I have only heard as a hard g.

    Blog text (7)
  • The definition offered for "gyre" in the second line is "to scratch"; "gimble" is defined as "to bore holes."

    Blog text (7)
  • "And the slithy toves did gyre and gimble."

  • Carroll says gyre (as well as gimble) has a hard "g" in the author's preface to Looking Glass; which raises the question: how was "gyroscope" pronounced in Victorian England?

    Blog text (7)
  • The carpenter used a gimble to create precise holes in the wood for the new cabinet.

Synonyms

brace
vsgimble
  • Archaic
8 7.2

A hand tool with a crank for drilling holes in wood

is a small hand tool term used dialectally rather than a large crank device
hand drill
vsgimble
1 3.0

A small tool you turn by hand to make holes in wood or other materials

is similar but is a rare dialectal name for a small manual boring tool
gimlet
vsgimble
9.3

A small hand tool with a pointed tip and cross handle used to make holes in wood

is the rare dialectal name for the same small hand tool
wimble
vsgimble
  • Archaic
9.9

A hand tool for making round holes in wood or stone

is similar but the term is rare or dialectal rather than common
bradawl
vsgimble
9.9

A small hand tool with a sharp point for making holes in wood for small nails or screws

is a broader small boring tool term used rarely and in dialect
pricker
vsgimble
  • Specialized
9.3

A pointed hand tool used to make tiny holes for nails or screws

is a more general small boring tool term and is rare or dialectal

Surface Forms

gimble singular
gimbles plural

Etymology

Gimble is related to the word gimlet, which is a 'small hand tool' used to make holes. Picture a little tool you twist like a corkscrew to start a hole; that image explains why gimble means a small tool for making holes.