Pimps aren't admirable people.
(Neither are the schmucks like me who are baited into responding, but whatever)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_My_Ride
A lot of non-natives then miss that the meaning of the word is not about an "upgrade" but about:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procuring_(prostitution)
which was on MTV glorified as the part of the "Afro-American" "pop culture" which is also... not a really nicest approach. But... it was supposed to be a "fashion." And relativised as "the thing of certain culture." Postmodernism and all that. And therefore....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandu...
...and "acceptable" for MTV.
Edit: also, 2008:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/msnbc-reporter-begrudging_n_8...
Informal, yes. Unprofessional, yes. Offensive, potentially. Incorrect English, no.
And who here said it "was improper English" specifically, in these words?
As usual, the context is crucial for figuring out which usage it is.
...checking the American dictionary (descriptive, not prescriptive):
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pimp
noun: "a criminal who is associated with, usually exerts control over, and lives off the earnings of one or more prostitutes"
"transitive verb: to make use of often dishonorably for one's own gain or benefit"
"intransitive verb: to work as a pimp"
And yes, I know that there's also MTV. And a "pimp-gate" related to Clinton's daughter and a journalist, as per my other comment here.
> We get a lot of hate mail from people who think slang doesn’t belong in the dictionary. Comments on our definition for OMG include “I am a high school English teacher and heard that this was added to the dictionary and hoped that I heard incorrectly.” and “The human race is heading somewhere very sad.” These people are barking up the wrong tree: We follow language and delight in tracking its changes.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/slang-and-the-...
and
> Some “new” words are already in the dictionary. New words like hashtag and selfie get a lot of attention, but many of the new words we add are new meanings of words that are already staples in our language: think of the recent meanings of mouse and cookie that have nothing to do with rodents or baked goods.
>What about words that don’t make it into the dictionary? They’re still real words!
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/how-does-a-wor...
You are technically correct, and also wrong at the same time by insisting that the way people actually use words in real life is "wrong" because the dictionary says so. If people use "pimp" in that manner, then it is correct.
Trying to be offended by taking the worst possible meaning as presumed most relevant is unproductive at best even when both parties are trying to polish the same communications. More likely counterproductive to the goal of seeming better.
It exactly confirms how that expression became popular there. A direct false association with "improving" "the look of the vehicles." (das Fahrrad == a bicycle)
Well...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVCh6Xp_VD8
Also, very funny, from the Wikipedia page of the show:
"Viacom, the owner of the Pimp My Ride franchise, has made legal threats against a number of small business owners over the use of the words Pimp My... in business names. Businesses using the names Pimp My Pet and Pimp My Snack have been threatened with legal action for an alleged breach of a trademark owned by Viacom. The website Pimp My Snack is now known as Pimp That Snack."
And more from the "pimp-gate": https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4274500&pa...