Victorian & Edwardian · oath · interjection
blimey
BLY-mee /ˈblaɪmi/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recorded1883 (as “blimy”)
An exclamation of surprise, disbelief or exasperation. It is a worn-down form of the working-class oath '(God) blind me!'.
Where it was first recorded
Sportsman (Melbourne), 29 August 1883, spelled 'Blimy' — earliest citation in Green's Dictionary of Slang (Etymonline gives 1889, first in a slang dictionary)
Also spelled: blimy, bli' me, blime, cor blimey
In its own time
‘Course they are,--and, blimey, if I was you I’d make ’em. Blimey I would!’
Today
Modern exampleBlimey, have you seen the price of a pint round here?
Fine to use today; a common, mild British exclamation.
From 'God blind me'; once felt as a coarse oath, now mild.
Questions
What does blimey mean?
An exclamation of surprise, disbelief or exasperation. It is a worn-down form of the working-class oath '(God) blind me!'.
When was blimey first used?
It is first recorded 1883 (as “blimy”) — Sportsman (Melbourne), 29 August 1883, spelled 'Blimy' — earliest citation in Green's Dictionary of Slang (Etymonline gives 1889, first in a slang dictionary).
Can you still use blimey today?
Fine to use today; a common, mild British exclamation.
Sources
- blimey — Online Etymology Dictionary
- Slang and its Analogues, vol. I (1890), s.v. BLIMEY — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
- blimey!, excl. — Green's Dictionary of Slang
- blimey — Wiktionary
- The Beetle (Richard Marsh) — Project Gutenberg #5164
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above