> Pimp has a very different meaning in the States!!
Over here in th UK, a pimp is someone (usually a man) who solicits custom for a prostitute (usually a woman) and takes a portion of her (his!) earnings - usually a very large portion. He will also protect his investment by making sure, a) that no-one else steals his partner's custom and b) that she comes to no harm from kinky or psychopathic customers. He may also arrange robbery of customers.
A ponce is someone who lives on the immoral earnings of a woman without doing anything much for it. A parasite, in fact. I have never heard of this soubriquet being applied to a woman, whereas pimp, whilst usually associated with males, does not appear to be inherently gender specific.
I have a perfectly respectable reason for having all of this information !!!
