Save Gender Feminine Usage English (Rare), Popular Culture Pronounced Pron. IJ-ee [key] Meaning & History Diminutive of Imogen or Imogene.Imogene "Idgie" Threadgoode is a character in the film 'Fried Green Tomatoes' (1991), based on the novel 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' (1987) by American author Fannie Flagg.