crimp

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

crimp, v. t. [Akin to D. krimpen to shrink, shrivel, Sw. krympa, Dan. krympe, and to E. cramp. See Cramp.].

•  To fold or plait in regular undulation in such a way that the material will retain the shape intended; to give a wavy appearance to; as, to crimp the border of a cap; to crimp a ruffle. Cf. Crisp.  [1913 Webster]

  "The comely hostess in a crimped cap."  [1913 Webster]
•  To pinch and hold; to seize.  [1913 Webster]
•  to entrap into the military or naval service; as, to crimp seamen.  [1913 Webster]

  "Coaxing and courting with intent to crimp him."  [1913 Webster]
•  To cause to contract, or to render more crisp, as the flesh of a fish, by gashing it, when living, with a knife; as, to crimp skate, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  In cartridge making, to fold the edge of (a cartridge case) inward so as to close the mouth partly and confine the charge.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

Crimping house, a low lodging house, into which men are decoyed and plied with drink, to induce them to ship or enlist as sailors or soldiers. -- Crimping iron. (a) An iron instrument for crimping and curling the hair. (b) A crimping machine. -- Crimping machine, a machine with fluted rollers or with dies, for crimping ruffles, leather, iron, etc. -- Crimping pin, an instrument for crimping or puckering the border of a lady's cap.

crimp, a. 

•  Easily crumbled; friable; brittle.  [1913 Webster]

  "Now the fowler . . . treads the crimp earth."  [1913 Webster]
•  Weak; inconsistent; contradictory.  [1913 Webster]

  "The evidence is crimp; the witnesses swear backward and forward, and contradict themselves."  [1913 Webster]

crimp, n. 

•  A coal broker.  De Foe.  [1913 Webster]
•  One who decoys or entraps men into the military or naval service.   Marryat.  [1913 Webster]
•  A keeper of a low lodging house where sailors and emigrants are entrapped and fleeced.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hair which has been crimped; -- usually in pl.  [1913 Webster]
•  A game at cards.  B. Jonson.  [1913 Webster]

Boot crimp. See under Boot.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

crimp, v. & n.
--v.tr.
1 compress into small folds or ridges; frill.
2 make narrow wrinkles or flutings in; corrugate.
3 make waves in (the hair) with a hot iron.
--n. a crimped thing or form.

Idiom

put a crimp in US sl. thwart; interfere with.

Derivative

crimper n. crimpy adj. crimpily adv. crimpiness n.

Etymology

ME, prob. ult. f. OHG krimphan

THESAURUS

crimp

Vandyke, abduce, abduct, abductor, aqueduct, bar, bit, blaze, bollix, bridle, bunco artist, bunco steerer, canal, canalization, canalize, cardsharp, cardsharper, carpetbagger, carry away, carry off, carve, chamfer, channel, check, chisel, chop, cocker, cockle, coil, con artist, con man, confidence man, constrain, corrugate, corrugation, crab, crack, cramp, crankle, crease, creasing, crenellate, crenulate, crimper, crimple, crinkle, crisp, crumbly, crumple, curl, cut, dado, dike, ditch, dog-ear, double, double over, doubling, duplicature, enfold, engrave, entrenchment, flection, flexure, flounce, flute, fold, fold over, fosse, foul up, friable, frill, frizz, frizzle, furrow, gash, gather, goffer, gouge, groove, gully, gum, gum up, gutter, ha-ha, hamper, hold back, hold down, hold for ransom, hold in, horse coper, horse trader, hurdle, impediment, impress, incise, indent, infold, inhibit, interfold, jackleg, jag, kennel, kidnap, kidnapper, kink, knit, knot, knurl, land pirate, land shark, land-grabber, lap over, lapel, lappet, lock, louse up, machicolate, mill, moat, mortgage shark, mountain, nick, notch, obstruction, pettifogger, picot, pink, pitchman, plait, plat, pleat, plica, plicate, plication, plicature, plow, ply, ponytail, pucker, pulverizable, pulverulent, purse, queer, quill, rabbet, ridge, rifle, rimple, ringlet, ripple, rivel, rub, ruche, ruching, ruck, ruckle, ruff, ruffle, rumple, run away with, rut, scallop, scarify, score, scotch, scratch, screw, scrunch, serrate, shanghai, shanghaier, shark, sharp, sharper, sharpie, shirr, shortchanger, shyster, skyjack, slash, slicker, slit, snafu, snag, snatch, spieler, spirit away, streak, striate, sunk fence, tooth, trench, triturable, trough, tuck, turn over, twill, wimple, withhold, wrinkle

ROGET THESAURUS

crimp

Junction

VB join, unite, conjoin, connect, associate, put together, lay together, clap together, hang together, lump together, hold together, piece together, tack together, fix together, bind up together together, embody, reembody, roll into one, attach, fix, affix, saddle on, fasten, bind, secure, clinch, twist, make fast, tie, pinion, string, strap, sew, lace, tat, stitch, tack, knit, button, buckle, hitch, lash, truss, bandage, braid, splice, swathe, gird, tether, moor, picket, harness, chain, fetter, lock, latch, belay, brace, hook, grapple, leash, couple, accouple, link, yoke, bracket, marry, bridge over, span, braze, pin, nail, bolt, hasp, clasp, clamp, crimp, screw, rivet, impact, solder, set, weld together, fuse together, wedge, rabbet, mortise, miter, jam, dovetail, enchase, graft, ingraft, inosculate, entwine, intwine, interlink, interlace, intertwine, intertwist, interweave, entangle, twine round, belay, tighten, trice up, screw up, be joined, hang together, hold together, cohere.

Taking

VB take, catch, hook, nab, bag, sack, pocket, put into one's pocket, receive, accept, reap, crop, cull, pluck, gather, draw, appropriate, expropriate, impropriate, assume, possess oneself of, take possession of, commandeer, lay one's hands on, clap one's hands on, help oneself to, make free with, dip one's hands into, lay under contribution, intercept, scramble for, deprive of, take away, carry away, bear away, take off, carry off, bear off, adeem, abstract, hurry off with, run away with, abduct, steal, ravish, seize, pounce upon, spring upon, swoop to, swoop down upon, take by storm, take by assault, snatch, reave, snap up, nip up, whip up, catch up, kidnap, crimp, capture, lay violent hands on, get hold of, lay hold of, take hold of, catch hold of, lay fast hold of, take firm hold of, lay by the heels, take prisoner, fasten upon, grip, grapple, embrace, gripe, clasp, grab, clutch, collar, throttle, take by the throat, claw, clinch, clench, make sure of, catch at, jump at, make a grab at, snap at, snatch at, reach, make a long arm, stretch forth one's hand, take from, take away from, disseize, deduct, retrench, dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp, tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from, extort, deprive of, bereave, disinherit, cut off with a shilling, oust, divest, levy, distrain, confiscate, sequester, sequestrate, accroach, usurp, despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume, impoverish, eat out of house and home, drain, drain to the dregs, gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up, absorb, draw off, suck the blood of, suck like a leech, retake, resume, recover.

Stealing

VB steal, thieve, rob, mug, purloin, pilfer, filch, prig, bag, nim, crib, cabbage, palm, abstract, appropriate, plagiarize, convey away, carry off, abduct, kidnap, crimp, make off with, walk off with, run off with, run away with, spirit away, seize, plunder, pillage, rifle, sack, loot, ransack, spoil, spoliate, despoil, strip, sweep, gut, forage, levy blackmail, pirate, pickeer, maraud, lift cattle, poach, smuggle, run, badger, bail up, hold up, stick up, bunco, bunko, filibuster, swindle, peculate, embezzle, sponge, mulct, rook, bilk, pluck, pigeon, fleece, defraud, obtain under false pretenses, live by one's wits, rob Peter to pay Paul, borrow of Peter to pay Paul, set a thief to catch a thief, disregard the distinction between meum and tuum, fence, launder, launder money.

Contraction

VB become small, become smaller, lessen, decrease, grow less, dwindle, shrink, contract, narrow, shrivel, collapse, wither, lose flesh, wizen, fall away, waste, wane, ebb, decay, be smaller than, fall short of, not come up to, render smaller, lessen, diminish, contract, draw in, narrow, coarctate, boil down, constrict, constringe, condense, compress, squeeze, corrugate, crimp, crunch, crush, crumple up, warp, purse up, pack, squeeze, stow, pinch, tighten, strangle, cramp, dwarf, bedwarf, shorten, circumscribe, restrain, (subtraction) 38 abrade, pare, reduce, attenuate, rub down, scrape, file, file down, grind, grind down, chip, shave, shear, wear down.

Convolution

VB be convoluted, wind, twine, turn and twist, twirl, wave, undulate, meander, inosculate, entwine, intwine, twist, coil, roll, wrinkle, curl, crisp, twill, frizzle, crimp, crape, indent, scollop, scallop, wring, intort, contort, wreathe.

Notch

VB notch, nick, cut, dent, indent, jag, scarify, scotch, crimp, scallop, scollop, crenulate, vandyke.

Brittleness

N brittleness, fragility, friability, frangibility, fissibility, house of cards, house of glass, brittle, brash, breakable, weak, frangible, fragile, frail, gimcrack, shivery, fissile, splitting, lacerable, splintery, crisp, crimp, short, brittle as glass.

Deceiver

N deceiver &c (deceive), dissembler, hypocrite, sophist, Pharisee, Jesuit, Mawworm, Pecksniff, Joseph Surface, Tartufe, Janus, serpent, snake in the grass, cockatrice, Judas, wolf in sheep's clothing, jilt, shuffler, stool pigeon, liar &c (lie), story-teller, perjurer, false witness, menteur a triple etage, Scapin, bunko steerer, carpetbagger, capper, faker, fraud, four flusher, horse coper, ringer, spieler, straw bidder, imposter, pretender, soi-disant, humbug, adventurer, Cagliostro, Fernam Mendez Pinto, ass in lion's skin, actor, quack, charlatan, mountebank, saltimbanco, saltimbanque, empiric, quacksalver, medicaster, Rosicrucian, gypsy, man of straw, conjuror, juggler, trickster, prestidigitator, jockey, crimp, decoy, decoy duck, rogue, knave, cheat, swindler, jobber, saint abroad and a devil at home.