I know of two meanings for the word gimp:

1. offensive slang for a disabled person. 2. a person who dresses up in leather for sexual purposes.

Not a great name for a piece of software. Apparently there's a third older meaning, some kind of braided string. I'd never heard of that one before I looked it up just now though.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gimp

FWIW "lisp" also refers to a disability

I don't think of a leather bound guy being pulled out of a trunk when people say those names.

That is true but to be fair I don't think of that when I use GIMP, either.

Hah, maybe there's some culture I'm lacking, but I don't think of that when I hear the word gimp, either.

I do think of something like a gimp leg though. I.e. a damaged leg which can't support you properly.

It's a reference from the movie Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is only one of the greatest films of all time. So anybody who hasn't heard of that particular meaning of the term has been living locked up in a small dark room under the basement staircase for the past 26 years.

https://www.thegreatestfilms.com/Film/1994/Pulp-Fiction

Or just younger than 35 or so! It’s been a movie a young person has to learn about and deliberately seek out for awhile now. For many, Samuel L Jackson may be the only recognizable actor due to his Marvel franchise gig.