Gimlets

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A type of cocktail made with gin and lime juice, served chilled with a garnish
2. A hand tool designed for boring holes, typically featuring a sharp bit and a twisting handle for manual operation
3. A drink typically enjoyed at social gatherings combining spirits and citrus zest, often served in a glass with ice

Etymology: "Gimlets" is the plural of "gimlet", the name of a small hand drill with a sharp screw-like tip and a crosswise handle. The tool's name passed through Old French as "guinbelet" and "guimbelet", a diminutive of "wimble", a word for a drill that came from Middle Low German "wiemel". The little tool's name thus carries a German origin, filtered through French, before it reached English in the Middle Ages. The same word also became the name of a cocktail, and there are two competing explanations for that. One is that the drink is named after the tool, a nod to its penetrating effect. The other credits the British Navy surgeon Thomas Gimlette, who lived from 1857 to 1943. Neither account is settled, so the drink's name may come from either source.