crimpage means the act or practice of crimping, or entrapping soldiers or sailors into service. It carries an Arena rating of 1343, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, crimpage ranks #974 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,139 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,883 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,062 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “crimpage” is a great word
The deceitful entrapment of individuals, typically by means of drink or false promises, into military or naval service, and the commission paid to the agent who secures them. From crimp (meaning to press into folds or, in this specific sense, to procure by deceitful means) + the noun-forming suffix -age, indicating a related action, practice, or charge. First attested in 1732. Unlike impressment, which implies a sanctioned, forceful seizure by authorities, or recruitment, a neutral term for enlistment, crimpage is a sordid commercial transaction, a kidnapping for profit. It is the doctored pint in a dockside tavern, the shilling slipped into an unconscious man's pocket to feign enlistment, and the broker's ledger tallying human souls—a petty, bureaucratic corruption of freedom into a commodity traded on the waterfront.
Etymology
From crimp + -age.
noun
- The act or practice of crimping, or entrapping soldiers or sailors into service.
- Money paid to a crimp for shipping or enlisting men.
- crimping (using small holds with little surface area).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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