Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) to go away, to leave; esp. as imper. vamoose!, go away! be off!; thus vamoosed, missing, lost.

1840		Southern Sketches 141: The Camanches came within a league of us, but vamosed the ranch when they learned that the rangers were here [F&H].
1844		C. Selby London by Night II i: Vamoose – scarper – fly!
1851		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 28 June n.p.: Their noses [...] would have been made much redder had they not speedily ‘vamoosed the ranch’.
1851		Manchester Spy (NH) 20 Sept. n.p.: He suddenly vamoused from that neighborhood.
1853		J.G. Baldwin Flush Times of Alabama and Mississippi 174: Squire Moseley vamosed and left Luke to get a judgment.
1856		Melbourne Punch 20 Nov. 3/1: Proposals for a New Slang Dictionary [...] ABSQUATULATE.—Originally written Absquostatulate. Verb neuter: To clear, to vamos, to mizzle, to cut one's stick, to hook it, to slide, to bolt to break out, etc.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 49/2: Because of this the elite of the London ‘swell mob vamosed the ranche,’ and became patronizers of the since famous Globe Tavern.
1866		H.H. Brownell ‘Honest Abe’ War-lyrics and Poems 112: And must needs, at any rate, / Draw a line in double-quick / Mizzle, vamos, cut his stick, / And absquatulate.
1872		‘Mark Twain’ Screamers (1875) 150: Go to the door-keeper and get your money, and cut your stick – vamose the ranch!
1872		Newcastle Guardian 20 July 4/1: Yankees are ‘vamoosing’ to another, and, let us hope, a better world.
1879		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 20 Dec. 2/3: [H]is request for water was peremptorily declined, with an invitation for him to ‘vamoose the ranch’ double-quick time.
1881		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 8 Oct. 2/3: [headline] forced to vamoose.
1883		Bristol Magpie 8 Mar. 3/1: Good bye, old boy, my ‘Vamoose’ I must take.
		Anderson, attempted to obtain glory and a free cab-fare by personating a detective. He drove to giddy places, and then vamosed.
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 15 Jan. 1/3: The pig-pickler vamoosed.
1894		Truth (Sydney) Oct. 1/6: The Cloture is applied — Vamoose!
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 91: Vamuse, or Vamoosh, to be off in a hurry.
1895		Truth (Sydney) 14 Apr. 3/6: He too vamoosed the ranch (as they say in Paraguay).
1897		A.H. Lewis Wolfville 38: So Miss, me an’ Doc’ll vamos over to the Red Light.
1897		Leamington Spa Courier 6 Mar. 3/5: After vamoosing from that dememnted maori and those stamp[eded bullcoks [etc.].
1899		A. Binstead Houndsditch Day by Day 36: Wilson Barret, with his kinky, petroleum shampoo curls, had vamosed.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 2 Feb. 275: That coyote’s vamoosed, as sure’s you live.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 31 Jan. 1/1: The silvertail store in the same locality is an excellent place for virgins to vamoose from.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 8 May 2nd sect. 9/1: They Say [...] That as soon as the first two had bawled the ballad, the remainder vamoosed.
1911		Gem 7 Oct. 14: My niggers vamoosed, engineer and stoker and all.
1911		E.B. Morris Senior 28: Violet. Oh my, let’s vamoose!
1915		Truth (Wellington) 22 May 7: She had vamoosed.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 321: All a plan so he could vamoose with the pool if he won.
1927		C.A. Siringo Riata and Spurs 5: After the crick in my back and the lump on my head had ‘vamoosed.’.
1937		D.L. Sayers Busman’s Honeymoon (1974) 110: Vamoosed. Done a bunk.
1947		S.J. Perelman Westward Ha! 130: Wickwire and I made a desperate attempt to vamoose.
1959		F. Norman Fings I i: Get the ’ell out of ’ere. The lot of yer. Go on, scram, vamoose, vanish.
1963		G. Lambert Inside Daisy Clover (1966) 36: ‘What about your father?’ ‘Vamoosed, four years ago.’.
1972		(con. 1916) G. Swarthout Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 34: She’s coming! Vamoose!
1984		Benjamin & Pearl Limericks Down Under 76: When asked to vamoose, / He suddenly cut loose / And blew ‘Tiger Rag’ on his oboe.
1987		M. Bail Holden’s Performance (1989) 253: Now vamoose, pronto.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 292: Maybe he vamoosed ’cause shooting those heist guys got to him.
1990		R. Gool Cape Town Coolie 178: Vam, kid. Cut a line quick. [...] They gonna moor you!
2006		C. Hiaasen Nature Girl 275: Take the fuckin’ guitar and vamoose.
2012		M. MacLean ‘Just Like Maria’ in ThugLit Oct. [ebook] One look at the gringo and they decided to vamoose.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 39: Marilyn vamoosed. It’s Blown Tail #1.