Jimmyism

The term Jimmyism is a neologism that refers to an error in speech or unintentional play on words. It is named after James Redshaw of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, renowned throughout his career in hospitality for the use of unconventional words and phrases and malapropisms.

Such misuse of the English language in formal speeches has spawned several books. A poem entitled Make the Pie Higher, composed entirely of Bushisms (named after President George W Bush), was compiled by high school English teacher Dirk Schulze under the pseudonym of Richard Thompson.

A Jimmysim is generally described by its proponents as a tendency to put one’s foot in one’s mouth as result of saying too much or over-complicating matters. It is often described as “allowing the words to come out of your mouth before giving any thought to what you wanted to say.

Redshaw is a legend throughout the hotel industry, having worked extensively across most regions of the UK. Everywhere he has worked there are hilarious stories about Jimmyisms which generally become folklore in the hotels concerned. The movement has gathered a substantial following, and most Jimmyisms were probably never uttered by Redshaw, but rather made up by colleagues and friends as a pastime.

The word is used in the following contexts, - to do a Jimmy or that is such a Jimmyism

Notable Statements
• “I saw him visually!”
• “Revenue in our department was down, due to a drop in sales”
• “We’ll only need it if we need it”
• “Basically, in an egshell, I think we should do the following…”
• “It is, but it’s not”
• “The point you are making is irrelative…”
• “I just have to cross the i’s and dot the t’s”

See Also
• Damaging quotation
• Freudian slip
• The Urban Dictionary

Main Menu