Also 8 vaump. [f. VAMP sb.1]
I. 1. trans. To provide or furnish with a (new) vamp; to mend or repair with or as with patches; to furbish up, renovate, or restore. Also with up.
Some further developments in dial. use are illustrated in the Eng. Dial. Dict.
(a) 1599. [see VAMPING vbl. sb.1].
16[?]. Middleton, etc., Old Law, II. i. What a time did we endure In twopenny commons, and in boots twice vamped!
1639. Shirley, Gentl. Venice, III. ii. Giovanni. In the mean time buy thee a sword and belt, And what is fit. (Gives him money). Georgio. No more: I’ll be a soldier…. This will Suffice to vamp my body.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, To Vamp, to new Dress, Licker, Refresh, or Rub up old Hatts, Boots, &c.
1844. Alb. Smith, Adv. Mr. Ledbury, xiv. (1886), 42. Various new-footed boots … vamped and polished to the last pitch of ingenuity.
1860. Emerson, Conduct of Life, ix. Wks. (Bohn), II. 446. Plod and plough, vamp your old coats and hats, weave a shoestring.
1884. A. Griffiths, Chron. Newgate, I. i. 33. Blankets vamped in foreign parts with the hair of oxen.
(b) 1755. Johnson, Connoisseur, No. 77, ¶ 1. The woman of the town, vamped up for shew with paint, patches, plumpers, and every external ornament that art can administer.
1796. Mme. D’Arblay, Camilla, V. 189. The apparel … would do well enough for herself, when vamped up, as she knew how.
1837. Disraeli, Venetia, V. viii. Old furniture … re-burnished and vamped up.
1864. C. Knight, Passages Work. Life, I. v. 219. Our old fabric … was in danger of falling on our heads, although we had spent large sums in vamping it up.
1875. Chambers’ Jrnl., 30 Nov., 749. Old boots and shoes are sold to men who vamp them up in such a style that their former owners would not know them.
b. transf. and fig. (Freq. with reference to literary compositions.)
(a) 1632. Song, in Lyly, Sappho, II. iii. 109. To th’ Tap-house then lets gang, and rore, Cal hard, tis rare to vamp a score.
1640. Gataker, Whitaker, in Fuller, Abel Rediv. (1867), II. 117. Let them strive to vamp Their wasted memories by another lamp.
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, I. 1. The Argument? what needs a Proëme, To vamp a Three-halfpenny Poeme?
1706. Swift, Baucis & Phil., 128. He … Knew how to preach old sermons next, Vamp’d in the preface and the text.
1743. Lond. & Co. Brewer, III. (ed. 2), 238. Vamping Malt-Liquors.—Is of late much in Practice for its excellent Service in recovering, preserving, and fining strong October and March Beers.
1795. Burns, Address, sp. by Miss Fontenelle, 4. A Prologue, Epilogue, or some such matter, ’Twould vamp my bill, said I, if nothing better.
1800. Crabbe, Borough, xvi. 185. When on each feature death had fix’d his stamp, And not a doctor could the body vamp.
1867. Emerson, May-Day, Wks. (Bohn), III. 417. Chemist to vamp old worlds with new.
1883. Daily News, 8 Dec., 2/8. I meant to suggest that the Central News were parties to ‘vamping’ the telegram…. What do you mean by ‘vamping’?—Inserting matter which is not in any original telegram.
(b) 1741. T. Betterton, Hist. Eng. Stage, vi. 151. He attempted to commence Dramatic Poet, by vamping up an old Play or two of Massinger and Decker.
1752. Bolingbroke, Study of Hist., v. 159. They maintained the dignity of history, and thought it beneath them to vamp up old traditions.
1825. J. Foster, Life & Corr. (1846), II. 67. The expedient of vamping up an old Sermon.
1902. L. Stephen, Stud. Biogr., IV. i. 21. I could not suppose that they were merely vamping up old material.
2. transf. To make or produce by or as by patching; to adapt, compile, compose, put together (a book, composition, etc.) out of old materials; to serve up (something old) as new by addition or alteration. Also with up (freq. = TRUMP v.3 5 c).
(a) 1644. Bulwer, Chiron., 113. This absurd motion of the armes, makes an Oratour seeme … as if he newly came from vamping his Oration.
1748. Foote, Knights, Pref. The three principal characters … are neither vamped from antiquated plays, pilfered from French farces, nor the baseless beings of the poet’s brain.
1774. trans. Helvetius’ Child of Nature, II. 205. They consist, in general, of old characters, old incidents, and old catastrophes, vamped out in the language and dress of the day.
1827. Carlyle, Misc. (1840), I. 5. Well are he and Hennings of Gotha aware that this thing of shreds and patches has been vamped together for sale only.
1880. Literary World, 17 Dec., 416. Industry worthy of the veriest drudge that vamps books together for his daily bread.
absol. 1792. A. Murphy, Grecian Daughter, Prol. Historians … who only take Scissars and paste; cut, vamp; a book they make.
(b) 1692. Bentley, Boyle Lect., 100. Which opinion hath been vamp’d up of late by Cardan and Cesalpinus and other newsmongers.
1760–2. Goldsm., Cit. W., xxx. I set myself down, and vamped up a fine flaunting poetical panegyric.
1765. Blackstone, Comm., I. 197. The usurpers … for the most part endeavoured to vamp up some feeble shew of a title by descent.
1814. Trewman’s Exeter Flying-Post, 16 June, 1. The falshood was vamped up on the authority of a pretended letter.
1850. Merivale, Rom. Emp. (1865), VI. liii. 383. Forged letters were produced, a case of Majestas was vamped up.
1894. Sala, London up to Date, II. i. 23. I have vamped up my description of the function from accounts which I have read.
† b. With personal object: To convert into, to bring forward as, something. Obs.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Charac. Diurn. Maker, Wks. (1677), 101. It is like over-reach of Language … when a clumsie Cobler usurps the Attribute of our English Peers and is vamp’d a Translator.
1667. K. W., Conf. Charac. (1860), 34. For … his preferment hath metamorphosed the antient titles of his progeneters … into master, and now he is vampt a gentleman.
1773. Berridge, Wks. (1864), 134. Some people only vamp him up as a prophet: and trample on his blood.
3. Mus. To improvise or extemporize (an accompaniment, tune, etc.).
1789. Burney, Hist. Music, III. 102, note. I remember very early in my musical life to have heard one of the town waits at Shrewsbury vamp a base upon all occasions.
1861. Mayhew, London Labour, III. 191/2. As soon as I could get in to vamp the tunes on the banjo a little.
1897. Sir A. Sullivan, in Strand, Dec., 654/1. Then the voice parts are written out by the copyist, and the rehearsals begin; the composer … vamping an accompaniment.
b. intr. To improvise an accompaniment.
1876. in Stainer & Barrett, Dict. Mus. Terms, 445/1.
1884. B’ham Daily Post, 23 Feb., 3/5. Pianist and Vocalist; one who can vamp.
II. 4. intr. To make one’s way on foot; to tramp or trudge. Now dial.
1654. Gayton, Pleas. Notes, III. ii. 73. If my hard hearted Queen should vamp to Charon. Ibid., IV. xxv. 285. That is the Knight, that must be the example, That the prime horse, that with Knight-Errants vamp will.
1681. H. Foule, Hist. Romish Treas., 133. When Humility vamps on foot.
1705. Wandering Spy, No. 19. 73. I Vaumpt along Cheapside, down the Poultry.
1747. T. Hazard, Son of Robt. (1893), 241. Our chief concern was about packing up our alls and vamping off.
1887. T. Hardy, Woodlanders, I. ii. 24. I shouldn’t have vamped all these miles for any less important employer. Ibid. (1891), Tess, I. 12. Well, vamp on to Marlott, will ye, and order that carriage.
1893. in Wiltshire Gloss.
b. trans. To tramp or walk (the streets). rare.
1898. T. Hardy, Wessex Poems, 55. We vamped the streets in the stifling air.
