What Does Jimmy Riddle Mean?

Jimmy Riddle Meaning

Definition: Urination.

Origin of Jimmy Riddle Meaning

Jimmy Riddle might seem like a real name of a person. However, this is not the case. This expression actually comes from Cockney rhyming slang.

Cockney is a term for people from East London who have a particular accent and dialect of English. They often substitute a standard word with another word that rhymes with the original. In this case, riddle rhymes with piddle, another term for peeing.

It likely originated in the late-1800s or the early-1900s. As to how Jimmy became part of the idiom, that is less clear. Most sources speculate that Jimmy merely functions as a generic, male first name. This is similar to how John Smith functions nowadays.

Examples of Jimmy Riddle Meaning

jimmie riddle In this conversation, two high-school students are walking to their math class.

Lisa: How much more time do we have before we’re late for math class?

Annie: Only about one minute. The school doesn’t give us much time to get through the halls from one class to another.

Lisa: Well, I wish I had more time, but I have no choice. It’s time for a Jimmy Riddle. When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Tell the math teacher I’ll be there soon.

define jimmy riddle In the dialogue below, two friends talk about what to do about a problem they are having on a bus.

Seth: When is this bus going to stop, so that we can have a bathroom break?

Jimmy: You just slept through it. We literally just left the fast food joint. You’ll have to use the toilet on the bus.

Seth: Are you serious? It’s disgusting in there. I’ve got to take a Jimmy Riddle.

Jimmy: As someone named Jimmy, I wish you would use a different term for urination.

More Examples

This excerpt is from an article about recent slang for the workplace. The article compares Jimmy Riddle to the newer synonym bio break.

  • And we suppose it’s better than announcing to all and sundry that it’s time for a Jimmy Riddle. –Chronicle

This excerpt explains the meaning and origin of the term.

  • Another employee came up, Lawrence Rapp, 25, who said he was an Irishman from London, where the art of rhyming slang is practiced. “If you have to piddle, you say ‘Jimmy Riddle,’” he said. –New York Times


The term Jimmy Riddle is rhyming slang for going pee or having a piddle.