Search: pimp
Why: Last night, I watched an exposé on teen prostitution on MSNBC.
Answer: The word pimp first appeared in English in 1607 in a Thomas Middleton book entitled Your Five Gallants. It is believed to have stemmed from the French infinitive pimper meaning "to dress up elegantly" and from the present participle pimpant meaning "alluring in dress; seductive."
Pimp used as a verb, meaning "to act as a pimp," first appeared in 1636 in Massinger's book, The Bashful Lover. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term was commonly used to refer to informers. A pimp can also mean "a despicable person" or a ladies' man.
In the first years of the 21st century, a new meaning of the word has emerged in the form of a transitive verb which means "to decorate" or "to gussy," as in the MTV show "Pimp My Ride."
Source: Wikipedia
The More You Know: The stereotype of the inner-city pimp was popularized in the 1970s, making terms such as pimpmobile or pimp walk (a kind of swagger which was mainly popular among African-American men) widely known. Many blaxploitation films of that era glamorize a pimp lifestyle. Look at all that zebra print:
Scarlet Pimpernel, duu.
ReplyDeleteGet serious:
ReplyDeleteAny of various plants of the genus Anagallis, especially the scarlet pimpernel (A. arvensis) having opposite, entire leaves and small red, purple, or white flowers.
[Middle English pimpernelle, from Old French, alteration of piprenelle, from Late Latin pimpinella, perhaps from Latin piper, pepper. See pepper.]