Jim-jams: Scottish Slang Term Enters Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added the word 'jim-jams,' a childish slang term for pajamas, to its latest edition. The inclusion acknowledges the word's common use by parents and its likely origins in Scotland. Scottish writer Isabel Cameron has been credited with popularizing the term, with the earliest printed evidence found in her 1957 novel, Mossford Manse.

A character in Cameron's novel uses the phrase 'my jim-jams' when discussing bedtime. The OED entry for 'jim-jams' describes it as a "British colloquial (frequently humorous)" term for pajamas. Researchers pinpointed the earliest known use of the noun to the 1950s, citing Cameron's writing from 1957 as the primary evidence.

'Jim-jams' is among over 400 new words, phrases, and senses incorporated into the latest OED update. This follows the recent inclusion of other Scottish terms such as 'chippy sauce,' a condiment popular in Edinburgh fish and chip shops, and 'rowie,' a savory bread roll associated with Aberdeenshire. Other Scottish words like 'gowping,' 'stowed,' 'toorie,' 'crow road,' and 'scrunted' have also been added to the dictionary in previous updates, reflecting the linguistic diversity of Scotland.