pimp
v.— «I can’t say how long the term “pimping” has been used in medical circles but I first heard the term six years ago when I began working at a teaching hospital. The term comes from the fact that the clinical instructors would “pimp” the medical students as a way of updating their(the clinical professor’s) basic science and epidemology knowledge base. Instead of heading to a library or surfing the net, a clinical professor such as a surgical attending would pick the brain of a third-year medical student who was fresh from the basic science classes. This is analagous to the pimp who makes a living by the prostitution labors of the men and women in his or her stable on the street.» —“Re: Etymology of the word “Pimping”” by Natalie J. Belle in Howard University College of Medicine Usenet: misc.education.medical Sept. 12, 1997. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Dylan from Charlottesville, Virginia, was rock climbing at his brother’s bachelor party when he heard other climbers called gumbies. Dylan figured that a gumby must be the kind of beginner or overconfident participant whose skills don’t...
Carpe diem! A new book reveals the surprisingly unfamiliar stories behind familiar quotations. Also: Rock climbers have gumbies, and surfers have kooks. What do those words say about beginners who have more confidence than experience? Plus, if...