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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

stamps n.¹

[SE stamp]

(UK Und.)

1. legs, feet.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 82: stampes legges.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Belman’s Second Nights Walk B2: He cuts, bing to the Ruffmans, Or else he swears by the Light-mans, To put our stampes in the Harmans.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 39: The Buffa peckes me by the stampes, the dogge bites me by the shinnes.
1637		Dekker Canters Dict. Eng. Villainies (8th edn).
1648		Dekker Canters Dict. Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 52: Stamps, Legs.
1674		‘The Beggars Curse’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 14: [as cit. 1608].
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Stamps, Legs.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Stamps legs.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
c.1750–1882		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1950		P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 189/2: Big Stamps. Big feet.

2. boots or shoes.

1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 19: Shoes – Stamps.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1833		‘The Beak and Trap to Roost are Gone’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 48: Lush’d heavy coves with queerish stamps, / Grub on their reeling way.
1881		Dundee Courier (Scot.) 12 Apr. 7/3: Teddy was badly off for stamps, and tried to nick a pair.
1889		Clarkson & Richardson Police! 321: A pair of boots ... Stamps, prints, noisy pegs.
1895		Belfast Wkly News 21 Dec. 3/1: It’s all very well for you, Joe, with a good pair of ’stamps’ on your feet.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

In compounds

stamp-drawers (n.) [drawers n.]

stockings.

1821		D. Haggart Autobiog. 39: A Highland farmer dressed in a blue cherry topt tile, sky blue tuig, [...] tartan stamp drawers.
1887		Cornishman 6 Jan. 4/3: Specimens of mumpers' or tramps' talk [...] stamp-drawers, stockings.