Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to pawn, to steal.

a.1661		‘Hymne to the Gentle Craft’ Rump Poems and Songs (1662) II 154: He must vamp it and cart it and thank thee mine host.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: I’ll Vamp and tip you the Cole, I’ll Pawn my Cloths, but I’ll raise the Money for you.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Vamp, to pawn any thing. I’ll vamp it, and tip you the cole: I’ll pawn it, and give you the money.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 135/1: Vamp, to pledge any article, to counterfeit.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 91: Vamp, to pawn.
1902		Ade Forty Modern Fables 20: If I can’t recall a good Philopene, I vamp one.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 vamp / vamped Definition: [...] 3. to steal usually including a beat down for good measure. Example: [...] 3. Leave your chains at home ’less you want your shit to get vamped.

2. to beg (from).

1993

R. Shell Iced 259: I stood on the corner [...] with my white styro-foam coffee cup vamping total strangers.