Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US Und., also tamp up (on)) to beat up.

1926		‘Und. and Its Vernacular’ in Clues mag. 158–62: tamped Badly beaten.
1932		(con. 1917–19) Dos Passos Nineteen Nineteen in USA (1966) 696: Looks to me like we was goin’ to get tamped up some.
1935		‘Sailor Sl.’ AS X:1 79/1: to tamp up on. To beat, especially when several men combine to beat one.
1947		R.O. Boyer Dark Ship 153: When they speak of being assaulted, they say they were ‘dumped’ or ‘tamped up on.’.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 821: tamp up – To assault or beat.
1966		F. Elli Riot (1967) 105: When do we tamp-up on the stoolies?

2. (US black) to walk, to go.

1953

L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 2: On the late bright after you have put down your easy slave you drape yourself in shape and tamp on the cuts where the cats are putting down much trash and everything is much solid.

3. (US black) to pump, to fill.

a.1946		‘The Open Book’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 114: We’ve been tamped full of tales about cowboys.
a.1985		‘The Open Book’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 109: You’ve been tamped full of shit about cowboys; / they are known as a romantic band —.