Jimmie's
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: the St. James's
James's (later the Piccadilly Hotel) was a famous, rowdy, fast-going restaurant in the last half of the 19th century; it figures in many society and London novels and memoirs. In it was to be found any night of the week everything that was blase, bella- donna'ed and often beautiful in the lower strata of female Bohemianism, Its proximity to Vine Street police station was not in- frequently a matter of congratulation to the authorities.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Jimmie's” mean?
James's (later the Piccadilly Hotel) was a famous, rowdy, fast-going restaurant in the last half of the 19th century; it figures in many society and London novels and memoirs. In it was to be found any night of the week everything that was blase, bella- donna'ed and often beautiful in the lower strata of female Bohemianism, Its proximity to Vine Street police station was not in- frequently a matter of congratulation to the authorities.
Is “Jimmie's” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.