pimp up
to change something to make it more showy
TRANSLATION
pimp up = etwas aufmotzen pimp = der Zuhälter --- GOOGLE INDEX pimp up: approximately 150,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Intel, Microsoft PIMP UP portable media players
(The Inquirer - news headline)
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A riot van has been PIMPED UP to help police reach out to youngsters and deter them from crime.
(Local London)
(The Inquirer - news headline)
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A riot van has been PIMPED UP to help police reach out to youngsters and deter them from crime.
(Local London)
Did you
know?
pimp up (also pimp out)
verb, slang
- to make something more showy or impressive
(Oxford English Dictionary)
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How do completely negative words gain a positive meaning? Pimp is a telling example of this process in action. Even the modern extended sense of "sell or promote in an extravagant or persistent way" carries a strong dose of moral disapproval (They need to release quality music instead of pimping up boy bands.)
However, the popularity of hip-hop culture has made the pimp (a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking a percentage of their earnings in return) a figure of social aspiration for some people. The word is increasingly associated with a glamorous world of champagne, fast cars, and flashy jewellery.
This image has spawned a positive sense of the verb, inspired in part by the MTV show Pimp my Ride, in which worn-out cars were transformed and customized: We've got to get that minivan pimped out!
The etymological origin of "pimp" is unknown, but could stem from the Middle French "pimper", meaning to dress elegantly.
(adapted from the Oxford English Dictionary)
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We need to pimp up our exhibit stand for the next trade show."
verb, slang
- to make something more showy or impressive
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
How do completely negative words gain a positive meaning? Pimp is a telling example of this process in action. Even the modern extended sense of "sell or promote in an extravagant or persistent way" carries a strong dose of moral disapproval (They need to release quality music instead of pimping up boy bands.)
However, the popularity of hip-hop culture has made the pimp (a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking a percentage of their earnings in return) a figure of social aspiration for some people. The word is increasingly associated with a glamorous world of champagne, fast cars, and flashy jewellery.
This image has spawned a positive sense of the verb, inspired in part by the MTV show Pimp my Ride, in which worn-out cars were transformed and customized: We've got to get that minivan pimped out!
The etymological origin of "pimp" is unknown, but could stem from the Middle French "pimper", meaning to dress elegantly.
(adapted from the Oxford English Dictionary)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We need to pimp up our exhibit stand for the next trade show."
