Brewer's: Crimp

A decoy; a man or woman that is on the look-out to decoy the unwary. It is more properly applied to an agent for supplying ships with sailors, but these agents are generally in league with public-houses and private lodging-houses of low character, into which they decoy the sailors and relieve them of their money under one pretence or another. (Welsh, crimpiaw, to squeeze or pinch; Norwegian, krympe, a sponge.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language