A glory hole, also spelled gloryhole or glory-hole, is a hole in a wall or another kind of partition, usually in a public space like a restroom, through which individuals may perform or watch others perform anonymous sexual acts. Sexual acts may also be carried out between individuals on either side of the wall.
As a practice, glory holes have likely been around for hundreds of years. The first known use of the term in print, according to the "Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang," was in 1949 in an anonymous publication called "Swasarnt Nerf's Gay Girl's Guide."