scamp, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

scamp v.

1. (UK Und.) to work as a highwayman, to rob someone.

1755		Ordinary of Newgate Account 17 Mar. 🌐 Every now and then taking a turn upon the highway; and he seldom came back without scamping some one or other, as he termed it in the cant phrase.
1758		Oxford Jrnl 15 Apr. 2/1: Simon Jones, the Executioner [...] was robbed [...] of near four Pounds in Money by three fellows [...] The left him asleep at an Alehouse [...] and told the People of the House ‘That they had scamped the Crapping Cull’.
1776		Proc. Old Bailey 4 Dec. 🌐 If I could get two more good fellows as well as myself, I should like to stop him and scamp him of his money.
1781		G. Parker View of Society II 78: Lumpers [...] have been expelled from the society of their brethren for being unable to scamp, prig, or dive.
1801		G. Hangar Life, Adventures and Opinions II 60: Those necessary professional accomplishments, such as [...] how to scamp, prigg, floor, [...] mount, lumber, and fence.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 263: To scamp a person is to rob him on the highway. […].

2. to give short measure, to cheat generally; thus scamping n.

1838		Paul Pry 30 Sept. 182/4: [H]e went [...] to take it[i.e. a watch] out when his scamping pawnbroker demanded four shillinks [sic] and three halfpence.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 230/1: Scamping adds at least 200 per cent to the productions of the cabinet-maker’s trade.
1867		R. Whiteing Mr Sprouts, His Opinions 6: She’d made some mistake in the cut of the lower part and took it out by scampin’ the rest.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1883		Trollope Autobiog. I, 164: It is not on my conscience that I have ever scamped my work. My novels, whether good or bad, have been as good as I could make them [F&H].
1890		Sporting Times 22 Mar. 1/1: Write me out the starters and jockeys, and don’t scamp it, mind, colours, and so on, at length.
1909		Wodehouse Mike [ebook] It is never very interesting playing the part of showman at school. Both Mike and his uncle were inclined to scamp the business.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 20 Mar. 2nd sect. 9/1: They Say [...] That the said work is alleged to have been shockingly scamped.
1914		R. Tressell Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (1955) 401: There was plenty of incentive to hurry and scamp.
1933		E.A. Robertson Ordinary Families 60: We darkly suspected Marnie, who had been told to dip it, of having taken the scientific view and scamped the job as useless.
1945		T. Harris Escape From the Legion 126: Far from deriving a financial advantage from his office [...] he would rather be out of pocket than see a job scamped .

scamping (adj.)

dishonest.

c.1800		‘The Blue Lion’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 32: There’s Scamping Ned. who without dread / On Finchley takes the aire, sir.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 109: Fellows who pilfer in markets, from stalls or orchards, who snatch off hats, cheat publicans out of liquor, or toss up cheatingly ? commit scamping tricks.
c.1835		‘The Youth of the Garden’ in Holloway & Black II (1979) 159: Not long e’er a scamping the youth he lays wait.

scamping blade (n.)

a highwayman.

1791		‘Highway-man’s Flash Song’ Confessions of Thomas Mount 20: Come all ye roving scamping blades.
c.1800		Song No. 10 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: Here comes a bloody scamping blade.

scamp (up)on the lay/panney/panny (v.) [lay n.³ (1)/panny n.¹]

to go out robbing on the highway.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: I’ll scamp on the panney.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1791		‘A London Ken-cracking Song’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 21: For if ye do, ye’ll rue th day / That e’er you scampt upon the lay.
1799		‘Cant Lang. of Thieves’ Monthly Mag. 7 Jan. n.p.: Scamping on the Panny Going on the Highway to rob.