glory hole
n.— «The studio has “reheat furnaces.” “That’s where we do most of our work and the openings in the reheat furnaces are called “glory holes.’”» —“Playing with fire” by Brice Stump Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland) May 28, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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This word is only slightly newer than furnace
It’s not about it being new. It’s about an old word being used in a new way. And it’s also about the word not being documented in mainstream dictionaries. I highly recommend you read the “About” section of this web site before you leave further comments. Otherwise, you risk continuing to sound like an idiot.
I had heard this term in reference to restroom stalls in public mens rooms where there is a hole to watch and possibly particapate in sexual activity….This is NOT from first hand expierence
I have to add that my knowledge of glory hole is also as a hole in a restroom stall, or even between booths at certain porn houses, that allow watching or participating in sexual activity. It’s from gay underground slang, so I doubt that it is in many mainstream dictionaries. A quick Google of the term pretty much makes it clear which usage is the most common, mainstream dictionary usage or not.
Look, citations are recorded here FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. This isn’t Urban Dictionary—there’s no point in contributing half-assed knowledge unless you’re going to do your homework first. According to the Historical Dictionary of American Slang, “glory hole,” meaning “1. (Nautical) shipboard quarters for stewards and stokers; (Navy) chief petty officer’s quarters,” is attested to 1889. Meaning “the vagina,” it dates at least as far back as 1930. Meaning “(Homosexual) a hole for the penis used for anonymous sexual encounters, esp. between toilet stalls in a public lavatory; (broadly) a peep-hole” it dates at least as far back as 1949. The Oxford English Dictionary has the glass-blowing meaning of “glory hole” back to 1849. So, this thread is closed to further comments.