Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to trudge about, to walk in a slovenly, aimless manner (with the image or actuality of one’s clothes dragging on the ground); thus trapesing n. and adj.

1593		Bilson Govt. Christ’s Church xiv 296: This t[r]apesing to and fro I impute rather to the rawnesse of your discipline [...] This it is to wander in the desert of your owne deuises without the line of Gods worde, or leuell of his Church to direct you [OED].
1728		Pope Dunciad III 44: Next two slip-shod Muses traipse along, In lofty madness meditating song.
1731		Prisoners Opera 23: Farewel [sic] you cross Puss, you may trapes about Street, / And ogle and wheedle the next Fool you meet.
1773		O. Goldsmith She Stoops to Conquer Act I: The daughter a tall, trapesing, trolloping, talkative maypole.
1846		D. Jerrold Mrs. Caudle’s Curtain Lectures 18: Nice clothes, I shall get too, trapesing through weather like this.
1852		Thackeray Henry Esmond (1898) 278: How am I to go trapesing to Kensington in my yellow satin sack before all the fine company?
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 261: trapesing gadding or gossiping about in a slatternly way. Generally applied to girls and women in low neighbourhoods, whose clothes are carelessly fastened, causing them to trail on the ground.
1885		Daily Chronicle 14 Oct. n.p.: He would not be found trapesing about the constituency [F&H].
1896		G.F. Northall Warwickshire Word-Book 249: Trapes. To trail or trudge about through mire.
1908		Denton (MD) Journal 7 Mar. 3/6: I was trapeshing along distreshful and moighty sore.
1914		E. Pugh Cockney At Home 73: I’ve cleaned my passage, and don’t want you trapesing all over it wi’ them boots on.
1925		L. Doyle Dear Ducks 21: After a while I got tired trapesin’ about.
1983		J. Sullivan ‘Wanted’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] I’ve been traipsing round Charing Cross, Soho, Leicester Square!
1988		M. Atwood Cat’s Eye (1989) 405: A feckless mother who traipsed around in slacks and gathered weeds.
1999		Observer Mag. 4 July 8: We traipse back to the front of the queue.