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Vamp

//væmp// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper; the analogous part of a stocking.
"The flow of water was in my ears, and in my eyes a hazy spreading, and upon my brain a closure, as a cobbler sews a vamp up."
2
A flirtatious, seductive woman, especially one who exploits men by using their sexual desire for her; femme fatale.
"It is the vamp who has a sense of humor that can really hold a man. She laughs at him, even as she is seeking to allure him—and he adores it."
3
A volunteer firefighter. US, slang
"John Mackin is one of the old-timers of the new Department. He was a volunteer fireman as well, […] John Mackin was among the number of "old vamps" who made application to the first Board of Fire Commissioners for appointment in the Paid Department."
4
piece of leather forming the front part of the upper of a shoe wordnet
5
Something added to give an old thing a new appearance.

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6
A vampire. informal
"The leader of the vampire cult (played by Ramon D'Salva) leads his cult of fellow vamps in an attack against some nasty werewolves."
7
an improvised musical accompaniment wordnet
8
Something patched up, pieced together, improvised, or refurbished.
9
a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men wordnet
10
A repeated and often improvised accompaniment, usually consisting of one or two measures, often a single chord or simple chord progression, repeated as necessary, for example, to accommodate dialogue or to anticipate the entrance of a soloist.
"I would go even further and say that, once [Stephen] Sondheim had ceased to compose classical music with its nonspecific accompaniments, he began to explore how effectively a vamp can flesh out a character for the stage. He had little need to write distinctive vamps for his Williams [College] shows, but already in 1954—before the highly characteristic vamps in West Side Story—we see him growing in his ability to get under a character's skin through his accompaniment."
11
An activity or speech intended to fill or stall for time. broadly

Verb

1
To patch, repair, or refurbish. transitive
"'Set me some great task, ye gods! and I will show my spirit.' 'Not so,' says the good Heaven; 'plod and plough, vamp your old coats and hats, weave a shoestring; great affairs and the best wine by and by.'"
2
To seduce or exploit someone. intransitive, transitive
"We want a musical-comedy star to vamp a Senator or a member of the Cabinet; we want the protective tariff revised up or down because of an actress' whim; we want scarlet scandal in high life. And we are not likely to get them."
3
provide (a shoe) with a new vamp wordnet
4
Often as vamp up: to fabricate or put together (something) from existing material, or by adding new material to something existing. transitive
"He has vamp'd an old speech, and the court to their sorrow, / Shall hear him harangue against Prior to morrow."
5
To turn (someone) into a vampire. slang, transitive
"If I knew what I know now before I got vamped, I'd do the same thing."

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6
act seductively with (someone) wordnet
7
To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise. transitive
"A paſt, vamp'd, future, old, reviv'd, nevv piece, / 'Tvvixt Plautus, Fletcher, Congreve, and Corneille, / Can make a C——r, Jo——n, or O——ll."
8
To cosplay a vampire. intransitive
"I'm planning to vamp real hard at Friday night's party."
9
piece (something old) with a new part wordnet
10
To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise.; To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”). ambitransitive, specifically, transitive
""It is so unkind to joke about it," said the beautiful young lady. "What shall I do? If somebody will vamp an accompaniment, I can get on very well without any music. But if I try to play for myself I shall break down.""
11
concoct something artificial or untrue wordnet
12
To attach a vamp (to footwear). transitive
"The shoe is now ready to be vamped after the eyelets are put in."
13
To travel by foot; to walk. ambitransitive, dialectal
"Well, vamp on to Marlott, will 'ee, and order that carriage, and maybe I'll drive round and inspect the club."
14
To delay or stall for time, as for an audience. intransitive
"Keep vamping! Something’s wrong with the mic!"
15
To pawn. UK, obsolete, slang, transitive
"'I'll find my own fencing cove or else vamp it to a pawnbroker.'"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English vaumpe, vaum-pei, vampe (“covering for the foot, perhaps a slipper or understocking; upper of a boot or shoe”), or from Anglo-Norman vampe, *vaumpé (“part of a stocking covering the top of the foot”), from Old French avantpied, avantpiet, variants of avantpié, from avant (“in front”) + pié (“foot”). Noun senses 2 and 3 (“a patch; something patched up or improvised”) appear to have been extended from sense 1 (“top part of a boot or shoe”). Sense 4 (“repeated and often improvised musical accompaniment”) was probably derived from sense 3, and sense 5 (“activity to fill or stall for time”) from sense 4. The verb senses were derived from the noun. Compare also Middle English vaum-peien (“(uncertain) to repair (footwear) with a new upper or vamp; to fabricate an upper or vamp”).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Clipping of vampire. From a character type developed first for silent film, notably for Theda Bara's role in the 1915 film A Fool There Was. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 4

Clipping of vampire. From a character type developed first for silent film, notably for Theda Bara's role in the 1915 film A Fool There Was. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 5

Uncertain; possibly related to vamp (etymology 1, above): see the 2008 quotation.

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