cramp, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cramp v.

[fig. uses of SE cramp, to compress, to restrict, to limit]

(US)

1. to execute by hanging, to kill; thus cramping-day, execution-day; cramp laws, crimes that carry the death sentence.

1834		Newcastle Jrnl 27 Dec. 4/1: He’ll floor them nosing beaks, I’m sure, / As makes cramp laws to handle the poor.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1861		Vanity Fair (N.Y.) 9 Nov. 216: Cramp BILLY SEWARD, stave in CHASE’S mazzard. [Ibid.] Ne’er fash myself, nor think of cramping-day.

2. to annoy.

1886		E. Nye Bill Nye’s Remarks 21: I hope you will get your education as cheap as you can, for it cramps your mother and me like Sam Hill to put up the money .
1969		in DARE.

Cramp Abbey (n.)

(UK Und.) orig. Newgate prison; then a generic term for any prison.

c.1850

cramping-cull (n.) [cull n.¹ (4)]

the hangman.

1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 20: Cramping Cull, the hangman.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: To him the hangman is the cramping-cull and the gallows the Government sign or the morning drop.

cramp-jinked (adj.)

(UK Und.) committed to trial.

c.1850

cramp words (n.) [note SE cramp word, a long, difficult or unusual word]

(UK Und.) a sentence of death.

1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: cramp-words [...] Sentence of Death passed upon a Criminal by the Judge; as, He has just undergone the Cramp-Word; i.e. Sentence is just passed upon him; us’d by the Canters, when one of their Gang is condemn’d to be hang’d.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1748		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict. (5th edn).
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Cramp words, sentence of death passed on a criminal by a judge; (cant). He has just undergone the cramp word; sentence has just been passed on him.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1891		(ref. to 18C) Birmingham Dly Post 23 Dec. 8/5: ‘Cramp-words’ are the bitter words of doom spoken by a judge when one of the canting confraternity is sentenced to death.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 20: Cramp Words, sentence of death.