Green’s Dictionary of Slang

kipping n.¹

lodging; also attrib.

1916		‘A-No. 1’ Snare of the Road 81: The hobo dump where we had our kipping.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 107: While we were on our way to the home we showed foresight by panhandling enough alms to meet the price of the kippings.
1925		E. Jervis 25 Years in Six Prisons 249: You had no ‘kippin’-money,’ and would have to doss in the streets.

In compounds

In phrases

make one’s kippings (v.)

(US) to live.

1916

‘A-No. 1’ Snare of the Road 85: I was getting ready to brace the ex-bo who makes his kippings here for a chance to tell of the doings of the bums, when you moosed in and now are trying to spoil the graft.