Bimble

Ever the linguist, I was delighted to happen across a new word while visiting friends in Nottingham.

The word: bimble (noun and verb)
Context: "a bimble in the Peak District"

This was explained as being a short, non-strenuous walk. Perhaps because I spent my formative years further south on the Isle of Wight, I had never heard this expression before. Keen to learn more, I found a quick internet survey revealed some interesting definitions and usage.

One site had a more general definition: 'the act of wandering about aimlessly or walking without urgency to a destination.' But its use seems to be broader than just walking. I came across bimbling drivers, cyclists, pilots and even divers.

The word also crops up in several names:

Bimble Bay – an imaginary seaside town, around which J.R.R. Tolkien set a series of poems
Bimbling – title of an album by the folk artist Martha Tilston
Mr. Bimble – character in the film Muppet Treasure Island
Bimble – a city in Kentucky

The word's etymology seems a mystery, but it does bear a striking resemblance to bumble, in its sense 'to proceed unsteadily or stumble.' According to tradition, the origins of the US place name are quite different; the community was apparently named after Bim and Bill, prize oxen owned by one settler.