camp2

[kamp] /kæmp/
noun
1.
something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental.
2.
a person who adopts a teasing, theatrical manner, especially for the amusement of others.
verb (used without object)
3.
Also, camp it up. to speak or behave in a coquettishly playful or extravagantly theatrical manner.
adjective
4.
campy:
camp Hollywood musicals of the 1940s.
Origin
1905-10; perhaps dial. camp impetuous, uncouth person (see kemp1); hence, slightly objectionable, effeminate, homosexual; in some senses probably special use of camp1 brothel, meeting place of male homosexuals
British Dictionary definitions for camp it up

camp1

/kæmp/
noun
1.
a place where tents, cabins, or other temporary structures are erected for the use of military troops, for training soldiers, etc
2.
the military life
3.
tents, cabins, etc, used as temporary lodgings by a group of travellers, holiday-makers, Scouts, etc
4.
the group of people living in such lodgings
5.
(South African) a field or paddock fenced off as pasture
6.
a group supporting a given doctrine or theory: the socialist camp
7.
(Austral) a place where sheep or cattle gather to rest
8.
(modifier) suitable for use in temporary quarters, on holiday, etc, esp by being portable and easy to set up: a camp bed, a camp chair
verb
9.
(intransitive) often foll by down. to establish or set up a camp
10.
(intransitive) often foll by out. to live temporarily in or as if in a tent
11.
(transitive) to put in a camp
Derived Forms
camping, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Old French, ultimately from Latin campus field

camp2

/kæmp/
adjective
1.
effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc
2.
homosexual
3.
consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste
verb
4.
(transitive) to perform or invest with a camp quality
5.
camp it up
  1. to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc
  2. to flaunt one's homosexuality
noun
6.
a camp quality, style, etc
Word Origin
C20: of uncertain origin

Camp

/kæmp/
noun
1.
Walter (Chauncey). 1859–1925, US sportsman and administrator; he introduced new rules to American football, which distinguished it from rugby.
Word Origin and History for camp it up

camp

n.

"place where an army lodges temporarily," 1520s, from French camp, from Italian campo, from Latin campus "open field, level space" (also source of French champ; see campus), especially "open space for military exercise."

A later reborrowing of the Latin word, which had been taken up in early West Germanic as *kampo-z and appeared originally in Old English as camp "contest, battle, fight, war." This was obsolete by mid-15c. Transferred to non-military senses 1550s. Meaning "body of adherents of a doctrine or cause" is 1871. Camp-follower first attested 1810. Camp-meeting is from 1809, originally usually in reference to Methodists.

adj.

"tasteless," 1909, homosexual slang, of uncertain origin, perhaps from mid-17c. French camper "to portray, pose" (as in se camper "put oneself in a bold, provocative pose"); popularized 1964 by Susan Sontag's essay "Notes on Camp." Campy is attested from 1959.

v.

"to encamp," 1540s, from camp (n.). Related: Camped; camping.

camp it up in Medicine

cAMP abbr.
cyclic AMP

Slang definitions & phrases for camp it up

camp it up

verb phrase
  1. To behave dramatically or affectedly; overact: can't help camping it up
  2. To behave effeminately, to attract homosexuals

camp

adjective
  1. : a camp bar/ the camp scene
  2. : a camp advertisement/ camp clothing
noun
  1. A male homosexual (1940s+ Homosexuals)
  2. Effeminate behavior, such as mincing gait, fluttering gestures, or pronounced lisp (1920s+ Homosexuals)
  3. Something, esp in art, decoration, theater, etc, so naively stylized, artificial, affected, old-fashioned, and inadequate to good modern taste as to be highly amusing and inviting to parody: television's inexhaustible supply of crash courses in camp (1960s+)
verb
  1. (also camp it up): Malcolm was camping perilously in the blue-collar bar
  2. (also camp it up) To behave in a humorously affected, exaggerated way, esp imitating the acting and oratorical styles of the 1800s: She started camping, vamping me like Theda Bara (1960s+)
Related Terms

boot camp, high camp, low camp

[origin uncertain; perhaps, as noted in 1909, referring to a sense ''actions and gestures of exaggerated emphasis,'' it is fr French se camper, ''put oneself in a bold, provocative posture,'' attested fr the mid-1600s; the more modern senses were revived, introduced, and popularized in Susan Sontag's essay ''Notes on Camp,'' published in 1964]


Related Abbreviations for camp it up

cAMP

cyclic adenosine monophosphate

CAMP

  1. continuous air monitoring program
  2. cyclophosphamide doxorubicin methotrexate procarbazine
camp it up in the Bible

During their journeys across the wilderness, the twelve tribes formed encampments at the different places where they halted (Ex. 16:13; Num. 2:3). The diagram here given shows the position of the different tribes and the form of the encampment during the wanderings, according to Num. 1:53; 2:2-31; 3:29, 35, 38; 10:13-28. The area of the camp would be in all about 3 square miles. After the Hebrews entered Palestine, the camps then spoken of were exclusively warlike (Josh. 11:5, 7; Judg. 5:19, 21; 7:1; 1 Sam. 29:1; 30:9, etc.).

Idioms and Phrases with camp it up

camp it up

Make an extravagant, affected, or vulgar display, as in Amateur actors often camp it up, trying to be more dramatic . Originating in the 1950s as slang for flamboyant behavior stereotypically associated with gay men, this term began to be used more loosely by about 1970. Also see ham it up

camp

also see:
Encyclopedia Article for camp it up

camp

in military service, an area for temporary or semipermanent sheltering of troops. In most usage the word camp signifies an installation more elaborate and durable than a bivouac but less so than a fort or billet

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