different between pimp vs gimp

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Etymology 1

Origin unknown. Perhaps from French pimpant (“smart, sparkish”) or German Pimpf (“boy, youth, young squirt”).

Noun

pimp (plural pimps)

1. Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.
2. (African-American Vernacular, slang) A man who can easily attract women.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pimp (third-person singular simple present pimps, present participle pimping, simple past and past participle pimped)

1. (intransitive) To act as a procurer of prostitutes; to pander.
2. (transitive) To prostitute someone.

   The smooth-talking, tall man with heavy gold bracelets claimed he could pimp anyone.

3. (transitive, African-American Vernacular, slang) To excessively customize something, especially a vehicle, according to ghetto standards (also pimp out).

   You pimped out that motorcycle f'real, dawg.

4. (transitive, medicine, slang) To ask progressively harder and ultimately unanswerable questions of a resident or medical student (said of a senior member of the medical staff).
   • 2004, Robert A. Blume, Arthur W. Combs, The Continuing American Revolution: A Psychological Perspective, page 183

     Only an attending physician can pimp a chief resident; the chief resident and attending can pimp a junior resident; they all three can pimp an intern.

5. (transitive, US, slang) To promote, to tout.

   I gotta show you this sweet website where you can pimp your blog and get more readers.

6. (US, slang) To persuade, smooth talk or trick another into doing something for your benefit.

   I pimped her out of $2,000 and she paid for the entire stay at the Bahamas.

Synonyms

• (prostitute someone): hustle, whore out; see also Thesaurus:pimp out
• (promote, tout): pitch, promote, tout, spruik

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

pimp

1. (slang) excellent, fashionable, stylish

See also

• pimping (adjective)
• player
• playah
• madam

Further reading

• Double-Tongued Dictionary definition

Etymology 2

From Brythonic numerals. Cognate with Welsh pump, Cornish pymp, Breton pemp. Doublet of five, cinque, punch, and Pompeii.

Numeral

pimp

1. (Cumbria and Old Welsh) five in Cumbrian and Welsh sheep counting

See also

• (Borrowdale sheep counting) yan, tyan, tethera, methera, pimp, sethera, lethera, hovera, dovera, dick, yan-a-dick, tyan-a-dick, tethera-a-dick, methera-a-dick, bumfit, yan-a-bumfit, tyan-a-bumfit, tethera-a-bumfit, methera-bumfit, giggot

References

• Wright, Peter (1995) Cumbrian Chat, Dalesman Publishing Company, ?ISBN, page 7
• Deakin, Michael A.B. (2007) , Leigh-Lancaster, David, editor, The Name of the Number?^[1], Australian Council for Educational Research, ?ISBN, retrieved 2008-05-17, page 75
• Varvogli, Aliki (2002) Annie Proulx's The Shipping News: A Reader's Guide?^[2], Continuum International Publishing Group, ?ISBN, retrieved 2008-05-17, pages 24-25

Anagrams

• impp.

English

Etymology 1

Attested since about 1660, perhaps from Dutch gimp or French guimpe, and likely from Old French guimpre, a variant of guipure, a kind of trimming.

The regional sense of "gumption" is attested since about 1905, and may have developed due to the reinforced nature of gimp cord, or possibly the influence of the words gumption and gumph.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Noun

gimp (countable and uncountable, plural gimps)

1. A narrow ornamental fabric or braid of silk, wool, or cotton, often stiffened with metallic wire or coarse cord running through it, used as trimming for dresses, curtains, furniture, etc. Also guimpe.
2. Any coarse or reinforced thread, such as a glazed thread employed in lacemaking to outline designs, or silk thread used as a fishing leader, protected from the bite of fish by a wrapping of fine wire.
   • 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, p. 87:

     I'm a fisher of men and my gimp is doing a saltarello over every body of water to fetch up what it may.

3. The plastic cord used in the plaiting and knotting craft Scoubidou (lanyard making); or, the process itself.
4. (dated, chiefly North Eastern US) Gumption

   Synonyms: spirit, ambition, vigor, pep

Related terms

• guimpe

Translations

Verb

gimp (third-person singular simple present gimps, present participle gimping, simple past and past participle gimped)

1. (of yarn, cord, thread, etc.) To wrap or wind (surround) with another length of yarn or wire in a tight spiral, often by means of a gimping machine, creating 'gimped yarn', etc. Also, generally, to wrap or twist with string or wire. See gimped.
   • 1856, Campbell Morfit, A Treatise on Chemistry Applied to the Manufacture of Soap and Candles, page 435 with illustration

     It consists of seventy fine spun cotton threads, gimped or tied around with thread by a machine similar to that for wrapping bonnet wire.
2. (dated) To notch or indent; to jag or make jagged; to edge with serrations or grooves.

Etymology 2

Attested in US slang since the 1920s. Maybe influenced by, or cognate with limp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Noun

gimp (plural gimps)

1. (informal) A person who is lame due to a crippling of the legs or feet.

   Synonyms: cripple, disabled (person)

2. (informal) A crippled leg.
3. (informal) A limp or a limping gait.
4. (slang, derogatory) A name-calling word, generally for a person who is perceived to be inept, deficient or peculiar

   Synonyms: dweeb, nerd, geek, gump, spod, dork

5. (BDSM) A sexual submissive, almost always male, dressed generally in a black leather suit. See Gimp (sadomasochism) in Wikipedia.
6. (video games, slang, derogatory) A character or ability that is underpowered.

Related terms

• gimp suit
• gimpy

Translations

Verb

gimp (third-person singular simple present gimps, present participle gimping, simple past and past participle gimped)

1. (intransitive, informal) To limp; to hobble.
2. (transitive, video games, slang) To make underpowered; to limit or restrict the useful effects of.

   Synonym: nerf

Etymology 3

Scots. Alternate form of jimp. Compare Welsh gwymp (“fair, neat, comely”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Adjective

gimp (comparative more gimp, superlative most gimp)

1. (dated, Scotland and N England) Neat; trim; delicate; slender; handsome; spruce; elegant.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:gimp.

References

• 1846, John T. Brockett, A Glossary of North Country Words, page 190

Anagrams

• pIgM