What it means
A rough British put-down for someone who's being daft, useless, or making a proper tit of themselves. It often flies around as matey banter, but it's not harmless for everyone since it's got older ableist baggage clinging to it. Fine for laddish pub chat, not exactly polished-company vocabulary.
Usage examples
"Quit being a gimp, man, just go over and ask for her number. You’ve been hovering by the jukebox ten minutes like a lost puppy."
"I felt like a right gimp turning up a day early for the meeting and waiting an hour in reception."
"Stop being a gimp with the flat-pack and just read the instructions for once."
"You absolute gimp, you left the keys in the front door all night."
"Don't be a gimp about it, just text her back and stop pacing round the kitchen."
Where it comes from
It comes from older English uses of gimp for a limp or a person with a limp, which is why the insult carries ableist baggage even when people chuck it out jokingly. There's also a separate fetish-club sense of gimp, but that's a different track from this everyday British insult.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
