rep

Etymology 1

Clippings of various words beginning with rep.

noun

1. (informal) Clipping of reputation.
   Try not to make it easy for the tabloids to ruin your rep.
   Clean up your rep, your story's gettin' dusty / Wash out your mouth, your lies are gettin' rusty 1970, “Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter”, in Alline Bullock (lyrics), Workin’ Together, performed by Ike & Tina Turner
   Remember. I got a rep to protect, OK, Shakespeare? 1982, Ken Finkleman, Grease 2, spoken by Johnny Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed)
2. (weightlifting, countable) Clipping of repetition.
   I get a better bicep workout if I use less weight and more reps.
3. (informal) Clipping of representative.
   When I requested tickets for Nassau, my rep just put me on hold.
   John Doe is a participant in the House of Reps.
   An upcoming problem to be thrashed out at a meeting of diskery reps and execs of the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), is the degree of AFRA's jurisdictional claim over singers on records. 1950-10-28, “Diskers, AFRA Puzzle Singer Jurisdictions”, in Billboard, page 13
4. (informal) Clipping of representation.
   This was the first episode of Degrassi I saw, and it was a formative episode. Why, might you ask? Not only because in 2003, there, again, wasn't much gay rep, but because of this interaction at the end of the episode that I stumbled upon, […] 2022 February, Kosoko Jackson, “Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More: How Bread Crumbs of Queer Characters in Entertainment Helped Me Establish My Own Sense of Self”, in Jessica P. Pryde, editor, Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters, New York, NY: Berkley, pages 144–145
   But for those looking for movies that have pronounced and meaningful queer rep, it might be best to shift focus over to smaller Summer 2022 titles like Neptune Frost, which deliver vibrant and righteous queer energy in every frame. 2022-08-06, Douglas Laman, “How Did Summer 2022 Become the Summer of Blink-and-You-Miss-'Em Queers?”, in Collider
5. (theater) Clipping of repertory.
   She did her time in reps before she made the grade in West End theatre.
6. (military, in combination) Clipping of report.
   […] and Henry Riser is still waiting for official casualty reps and family info on Doug Wheless. 1993, United States Military Academy. Association of Graduates, Assembly, volumes 52, issues 1-3, page 149
   A shell report, or "shell rep," was supposed to be sent in by any man who witnessed the fall of enemy artillery fire. 1996, Don Congdon, Combat World War II, volume 1, page 531

verb

1. (informal) To represent; to act as a representative for.
   Bentley, the man who repped for Slade, carried the air and the rest joined in. 1922, Hal G. Evarts, The Settling of the Sage
   He left to help the Reader set up its national advertising arm, went back to Rolling Stone for five years, repped other magazines, and finally set up his own company, which currently scouts ads for the Atlantic, Spin, Discover, and a publication called Disney Adventures. November 4, 1994, Bill Wyman, “Evanston's New Music Hall/Veruca Salt Grow Up/Schmitsville”, in Chicago Reader
2. (informal) To display as a representative example.
   Last year, Olivia famously went full-2000s at a Grammys after-party she attended with Paris Hilton, where she repped a bright blue butterfly dress featuring a plunging neckline and dramatic ruffles. Now, for her latest look, she's gone and repped another recognisable combination: silk trousers and a leather boob tube. 2023-03-03, Natasha Harding, “Olivia Rodrigo's leather boob tube will transport you back to 2001”, in Cosmopolitan
   As for her beauty look, the Jennifer’s Body star had dyed her long tresses a burnt-orange shade, and styled them slightly curled at the ends and down across her shoulders. She also repped a bubblegum-pink manicure with an abstract black design. 2023-05-19, Chelsey Sanchez, “Megan Fox Makes Her Red-Carpet Comeback in a Body-Sculpting Sheer Gown”, in Harper's Bazaar
3. (knitting) Abbreviation of repeat.
   Rep neck dec EOR 4 times more, AND AT THE SAME TIME, rep armhole dec EOR 4 (4,5) times more 2011, Hannah Fettig, Closely Knit: Handmade Gifts For The Ones You Love, page 44
4. (transitive, weightlifting) To lift for multiple reps.

Etymology 2

Back-formation from reps, misinterpreted as a plural.

noun

1. (textiles) A fabric made of silk or wool, or of silk and wool, and having a transversely corded or ribbed surface.
   Underfoot is a rich brown marble from the shores of Lake Champlain. The wainscoting is of green rep and red Numidian marble. 1923, Theodore Dreiser, The Color of a Great City, New York: Boni & Liveright
   I toted a (rather fetching) $100 Gucci 1955 Horsebit rep through a vacation across Europe […] 2023-05-04, Amy X. Wang, Grant Cornett, “Inside the Delirious Rise of ‘Superfake’ Handbags”, in The New York Times, →ISSN