💇 A hair curler 🔧 A joining tool 🕵️ A kidnapper

crimper

9.9

A person who tricks or forces men to work as sailors

noun
/ˈkrɪmpər/

NSFW

: reclutador

Many sailors feared falling prey to a crimper while visiting unfamiliar ports.

Examples

The crimper lured many young men into the navy.
The authorities eventually arrested the infamous crimper who had coerced dozens of men into service.
During the 1800s, a notorious crimper operated along the docks, tricking men into joining the navy.
In the 19th century, a crimper could often be found in port towns.
In the 1800s, a notorious crimper lured young men into joining the navy with false promises of adventure.
The crimper convinced many villagers that they would earn a fortune at sea, but instead, they faced a harsh life on the ship.
During his investigation, the detective uncovered the activities of a local crimper who was coercing men into military service.

Synonyms

crimp

vscrimper

NSFW

9.9

A person who tricks or forces men into joining a ship's crew

is the historical nineteenth-century role of procuring men by trickery or coercion

seizer

vscrimper

Offensive

9.9

A person who kidnaps men to force them to work on a ship

covers procuring men for sailors or soldiers beyond just kidnapping tactics

shanghaier

vscrimper

NSFW

9.9

A person who drugs or tricks men to force them to work on a ship

applies to forcing men into naval or military roles not only ship service

Compounds

hair crimper

1 4.4

A tool that uses heat to make hair wavy

Surface Forms

crimper singular

crimpers plural

Morphology

crimper = crimp (opaque) = crimp + er

The historical sense 'one who procures sailors by trickery' is archaic and not derivable from the common physical senses of 'crimp' known to learners.

Etymology

The older sense of crimper for a person who forced sailors likely comes from the verb crimp, used here like 'to squeeze' or 'force', so a crimper was someone who 'squeezed' or tricked men into service.