(qualifier:military or Deaf slang) An interpreter (person who translates).
We don't understand what he's saying, of course, but he looks like he knows what he's saying. There's a certain something that emanates from a confused patient that this fellow doesn't have. I sure wish I had more 'terps. Well, we're not going to CT him right away. 2013, Marc Dauphin, Combat Doctor: Life and Death Stories from Kandahar's Military Hospital, Toronto: Dundurn Press, →ISBN, page 197:
But for troops in the new Afghan army, there is a particular irritant: Afghan interpreters working with U.S. soldiers — called terps by troops in the field — can earn more than an Afghan army officer. 2003 November 27, Paul Watson, “Losing Its Few Good Men”, in Los Angeles Times:
I don't think it's at all appropriate to hire a terp to review your correspondences, reports, grammar, tone, style, etc. It is completely YOUR responsibility to perform effective written communication tasks. 1994 September 15, Tom Lyczko, “Comments on ASL Interpreter Position Description”, in DEAF-L mailing list, message-ID <Pine.3.89.9409151534.A19989-0100000@gamera.syr.edu>:
(slang) An interpreter (program that parses and executes another program).
As far as I know all the TADS terps are just ports of the original. 2009 September 15, Dannii, “IF System Idea”, in rec.arts.int-fiction (Usenet), message-ID <15cd3135-0302-421e-be03-d40a5dbb1645@m7g2000prd.googlegroups.com>:
So, I'm writing a Z-Machine terp. It is not done. It's getting there. Now, I have some ideas of things I would like this terp to do, but I thought it might be a nice idea to find out if there are any features that other people on this newsgroup would like in a Z-Machine terp. 2001 July 23, Fillmore, “Z-Machine terp”, in rec.arts.int-fiction (Usenet), message-ID <6j177.12538$Iz3.3461071@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com>:
Clipping of Terpsichore, the goddess of dance and the dramatic chorus in Greek mythology.
Meanings
(countable, dated, slang, uncountable) Dance.
In the terp section, Barbara Perry, last here in a straight role in Swan Song, scores smartly as a dancer, and lanky Jack Williams holds down the other lead stepping slot with his intricate tap routines. Dancing is overall excellent, but as noted above, there is too much of it. 1946 December 14, “Broadway Openings: If the Shoe Fits”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:
Clipping of Terpsichore, the goddess of dance and the dramatic chorus in Greek mythology.
Meanings
(dated, slang, transitive) To dance.
Longhair terping got another boost around these parts Tuesday (3) when the Jooss Ballet returned to the New York City Center for a three-week stint. Heavy balletomane audience was on hand, generous in its applause welcoming back this unique troupe after a five-year wartime absence. 1946 December 14, Frank Gill, “Jooss Ballet Juice In Return to B'way”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:
From Dutch terp (“terp”). See also thorp and thorpe.
Meanings
An artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain, created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and sea or river flooding.
Most Dutch cities began on a terp or artificial mound to which the prehistoric amphibious folk rushed for refuge when floods rolled in. 1898, The Outlook, volume 60, page 281: