Now dial. Also 5 quappe, 9 Sc. waup. [Of obscure origin; cf. SWAP v. and whap, WHOP v.]
1. trans. To throw quickly or with violence. Often with adv. or phrase, down, to the ground, etc. † To wap off: to pull off roughly; † to wap sindry (see SUNDRY adv.), to scatter, disperse; to wap wide, to throw wide open.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 7297. Mony doughty þat day deghit in the fild, Mony [were] wofully woundit, & wappid to ground!
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxiii. 343. Do wappe of his wedis þat are worne.
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 127. The yettis wappit war wyde.
c. 1480. Henryson, Paddock & Mouse, 171 (Bann.). Now on þe quheill, now wappit [Harl. wrappit] to þe ground.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. iv. 150. Wyth branchis rent of treis, and quarrell stanis Of huge wecht doun wappand all at anis.
1562. Winȝet, Cert. Tractatis, Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 94. Quhy hef ȝe wappit doun al the affixit tabellis of the Lord? Ibid. (1563), trans. Vincent Lirin., v. II. 22. Than wes … monasteriis destroyit, clerkis wappit sindry [L. clerici disturbati], the ministeris of the Kirkis strikin [etc.]. Ibid., vi. II. 23. That be them he wald raiss vp his Kirkis afoir wappit doun.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxviii. 30. Be war with the wand syne he wapis in the fyre.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 25. Gif thay sie ony fishe mair diligate … the pray quhilke … thay brocht far aff, with speid thay wap out of thair mouth. Ibid., II. 29. At last, the Inglisman wappit fra his horse, the Scot winnis the Victorie.
c. 1730. Ramsay, O Mither dear! v. Get Johny’s hand in haly band, Syne wap ye’r wealth together.
1828. [Carr], Craven Gloss., Whap, to shut or close with violence, as, ‘twind waps door tull.’
1912. A. McCormick, Words fr. Wild-Wood, vi. 82. I had … mechanically ‘wapped’ my line once or twice in the glassy pool above.
† b. In figurative expressions like wapped in woe, there is some doubt whether wapped belongs to this verb with the sense ‘thrown,’ or to WAP v.2 with the sense ‘wrapped.’ Cf. the similar use of WARP v. The word may have been variously apprehended by those who used the proverbial expression. Obs.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xliii. (Cecilia), 239. Ve sal be wappyt in til yre, percace in erde in brynnand fyre [L. incurremus furorem exurentem in terris].
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxi. 12. In wrathe when we writhe, or in wrathenesse ar wapped. Ibid. (c. 1440), xlvi. 1. In waylyng and wepyng, in woo am I wapped.
c. 1450. Holland, Houlate, 748. For ws, wappit in wo in this warld wyde, To thi son mak thi mane.
c. 1480. Henryson, Paddock & Mouse, 166. Now in fredome, now wappit in distres.
c. 1550. Rolland, Crt. Venus, Prol. 107. Syne the xij Signes, and of thair conuersatioun, How thay ar wapt to diuers variatioun. Ibid., II. 619. I se this warld wappit with variance. Ibid., 641. To Ilk man geuis in warld his fatall weir[d], Quhidder it be to weill wappit, or wo.
c. 1560. A. Scott, Poems, xx. 3. Oppressit hairt, indure … Wappit without recure In wo remidiless.
† 2. To shake. Obs.–0
1570. Levins, Manip., 27/24. To wappe, motare, agitare.
3. intr. To strike, knock upon; to strike through.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 882. Þe ȝonge men … Wapped vpon þe wyket & wonnen hem tylle.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 2226. Othire athils of armes Albastis bendis, Quirys out quarrels, quappid [Dubl. MS. wappyd] thurȝe mayles.
1889. H. Johnston, Glenbuckie, 99. Yer cannon balls, well they wud just wap through them [spirits] and no do them wan bit o’ hairm.
† 4. Of the wind: To blow in gusts. Of a cloth: To flap in the wind. Of wings: To flap, beat. Obs.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 2004. Þe werbelande wynde wapped fro þe hyȝe.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 9513. The smorther, & the smoke of þe smert loghys … waivet in the welkyn, wappond full hote.
c. 1400. Isumbras, 632. A rede clothe therinne he seghe Owte-wappande with the wynde.
a. 1600. Flodden F., i. (1664), 5. When flickering fame that monstrous wight With hundred wings wapping was blown.
5. Used to express the intermittent sound of shallow water over stones: cf. PLAP, PLOP vbs.
1910. J. Masefield, Ballads & P., Fragments, 12. Simois babbles over stone And waps and gurgles to the sky.
Hence Wapping vbl. sb.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxxi. (1495), 142. Grete wappynge and lepynge in any of the rybbes betokeneth woo and sorowe other rauynge.
1629. Gaule, Holy Madn., 296. The wapping of a Towell will urge a Beare.
