Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) reputation; thus no-rep, one who has no reputation.

a.1705		Shippery in Brasenose Ale (1878) 2: Six go-downs upon rep. to our true English King! In this orthodox health let each man keep his station.
1711		J. Addison Spectator No. 135 10: This Humour [...] which has so miserably curtailed some of our Words, [...] as in mob. rep. pos. incog. and the like.
1728		W. Pattison ‘Kundumogenia’ in Poetical Works 94: By double Motion pain’d, / Her Rep and Petticoat were stain’d.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation 42: lady sm.: Do you say it upon Rep? ne.: v. Pozz; I saw her with my own Eyes.
1766		H. Brooke Fool of Quality II 244: A hundred and fifty Visits, no less upon rep.
1885		Ledger (Nobelesville, IN) 14 Aug. 6/2: ‘Have they got you dead-to-rights?’ ‘No; they may do me up on my “rep” pretty hard’.
1896		W.C. Gore Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 7: rep. n. Reputation.
1902		J.D. Corrothers Black Cat Club 252: I’m done so well now, I’m ’fraid I’ll spile ma rep.
1913		Sun (Kalgoorlie, WA) 27 July 8/6: [US speaker] ‘They’re [i.e. Australian girls] the whole cheese and their class knocks the liver lights out of Paris’s one-time rep’.
1916		J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 58: A guy had a great rep for truth an’ veracity.
1928		M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 75: Tony M—, a member of the Four Hundred, was the dub who put his reputation in my hands, if, indeed, he had any rep. to lose.
1933		(con. 1900s) C. McKay Banana Bottom 121: I thought I was a no-rep.
1938		W. Winchell On Broadway 22 Mar. [synd. col.] ‘Public Enemy,’ which brought out Cagney and helped Zanuck to build a rep.
1943		J. Phelan Letters from the Big House 12: Len’s ‘rep’ had been very thoroughly discussed.
1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 46: Sore at guys who profaned in the presence of ladies [...] regardless of rep or appearance.
1959		J. Thompson Getaway in Four Novels (1983) 57: I got quite a rep for breaking out.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 15: Getting yourself a chick was a rep builder.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 21: He can’t hide behind his rep or his clothes.
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 31: A girl with a grown-up bod and an undeniable naughty rep.
1992		S.L. Hills Tragic Magic 155: I had built up a rep with some of the COs and I had my crew of COs that I could relate to.
1999		Indep. Rev. 15 June 4: The Kinnocks cemented their rep as a fun-lovin’ couple.
2004		(con. 1960s-70s) T. Taylor Top Fellas 27/1: You fought for the rush and to earn a rep.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 86: ‘I’ve a rep in this town.’.
2007		C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 86: Even a stupid rep was better than no rep.
2011		G. Knight Hood Rat 113: You are making a rep for yourself in the area.
2012		A. Prentice ‘The Break’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] It’s another long story that won’t help my rep.
2015		S. King Finders Keepers (2016) 95: His rep still wasn’t that bad.
2017		D. Winslow The Force [ebook] [H]e got the rep as both a ‘hero cop’ and a ‘racist cop,’ neither of which tag is true.
2019		M. Herron Joe Country [ebook] ‘You have a rep. Geography teacher’.
2020		D. Whish-Wilson Shore Leave 170: [I]n a federal oprison [...] at least he’d earn a rep.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 8: Harry has a rancid rep.
2023		M. Herron Secret Hours 170: ‘The woman who had you before I came along [...] She had a bit of a rep, Max. Bit of a rep’.

(b) (orig. US teen) a member’s standing and status in a street gang.

1958		W.B. Miller ‘Gang Delinquency’ in Short Gang Delinquency and Delinquent Subcultures (1968) 151: ‘Rep’ refers to the ‘toughness’ of the corner group as a whole relative to that of other groups. [...] and the safety and security of the group and all its members depends on maintaining a solid ‘rep’.
1964		P. Marshall ‘Some Get Wasted’ in Clarke Harlem, USA (1971) 350: Massacre Hill they called it—where many a stud had either built his rep or gotton wasted.
1993		Dr Dre ‘Lil’ Ghetto Boy’ 🎵 Getting a rep as a young hog.
2002		Observer 10 Mar. 13: The youth [...] in order to get their own reputation, they have to go and get a bigger man to shoot him. Just so their rep is there.

(a) something worthless.

1786

‘Peter Pindar’ Lyric Odes xi in Works (1816) I 117: The fiddle [...] though what’s vulgarly baptiz’d a rep, Shall in a hundred pounds be deem’d dog-cheap.

(b) a man or woman who has a (usu. bad) reputation.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Rep, a woman of reputation.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Sept. n.p.: I ‘twigged’ them [i.e. a gang of pickpockets] ‘ramp’ a pair of opera-glasses from a ‘rep’ and thank that is all that they ‘touched’.
1894		D.J. O’Malley ‘The Cowboy Wishes’ in Stock Grower’s Journal 7 Apr. 🌐 Oh, a rep is what I want to be, / And a rep, you bet, I’ll make. / At punching cows I know I’ll shine; / I’m sure I’ll take the cake.
1901		Monroe & Northup ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:iii 146: rep, n. A disreputable person.
1914		E. Wittmann ‘Clipped Words’ in DN IV:ii 134: rep. A woman of reputation.

(a) a representative, e.g. of a trade union.

1848		Oquawka (IL) Spectator 8 Nov. 2/4: We are much pleased with the position friend Sanders has taken, and hope that he will continue in the good cause until the ‘Reps’ of all ‘Egypt’ will have a true knowledge of the wishes of the people [DA].
1893		H. Lawson ‘All Unyun Men’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 233: But the rep. was straight, an’ the rep. hed grit.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 21 Feb. 8/3: ‘Hullo,’ says he, ‘what’s that?’: ‘Dunno,’ replied one of the reps, ‘what do you make of it’.
1905		N.Y. Eve. Post 28 Jan. n.p.: We come face to face with six cowboys. They are the ‘top hands’ or ‘reps’ of a big cattle ranch [DA].
1947		Con. Price Trails I Rode 43: One time there was a rep from the 7 UK who came to our outfit [DA].
1953		T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake 164: The union rep’d just race in.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 80: He was appointed Social Rep on the House Council.
1973		(con. 1930s) F. Huelin ‘Keep Moving’ 51: There’s no Union rep. Nobody’ll take on th’ job.
1981		G.V. Higgins Rat on Fire (1982) 56: You got the money and you’re a big-ass state rep.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 21: They’re all looking to me, as Fed rep, for a bit of leadership.
2005		L. Theroux Call of the Weird (2006) 121: She was a successful rep for a jewellry company.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 198: It was handled by union representative. The rep got ten percent commission.

(b) (US) a member of a state or national House of Representatives.

1913		Lincoln (NE) State Journal 23 Feb. in DN IV:ii 125: ‘Rep’ Cannon, as he was called by the chairman, has served thirty-eight years in the national legislature.
1973		G.V. Higgins Digger’s Game (1981) 13: I get this call from this rep I never heard of.
1982		G.V. Higgins Patriot Game (1985) 89: I get a call from a Rep, he wants the thing heard. Then a Councillor, same thing.

(c) a commercial traveller, a sales representative.

1938		E. Ambler Cause for Alarm 28: He sucked his teeth and shook his head firmly. ‘No travellers seen except on Tuesdays and Thursdays... Reps., Tuesdays and Thursdays’ .
1959		New Statesman 19 Dec. 874/1: One young sales rep, whom I met quite early in the month, was already discovering his soul and finding the process painful.
1970		A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 160: A souped-up sales rep in his new Cortina.
1981		P. Reading ‘Commitment’ in Tom O’Bedlam’s Beauties 54: Gerald’s so nice, a carpet-slipper rep, / he fell head-over-heels for me.
1992		I. Rankin Strip Jack 226: There was another car in the lay-by, a rep or something.
1999		J. Poller Reach 43: One of the Outlandish reps [...] announces that Terry has graciously agreed to field questions from the floor.
2005		P. Temple Broken Shore (2007) [ebook] Ripped five hundred bucks off a rep staying at the Wavecrest.