Swinge Swinge noun 1. The sweep of anything in motion; a swinging blow; a swing. [ Obsolete]
Waller. 2. Power; sway; influence. [ Obsolete]
Swingebuckler Swinge"buc`kler noun A swashbuckler; a bully; a roisterer. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Swingeing Swinge"ing adjective Huge; very large. [ Colloq.]
Arbuthnot. Byron. --
Swinge"ing*ly ,
adverb Dryden.
Swingel Swin"gel noun [ Anglo-Saxon
swingele whip, scourge. See
Swing .]
The swinging part of a flail which falls on the grain in thrashing; the swiple.
Swinger Swing"er noun One who swings or whirls.
Swinger Swin"ger noun 1. One who swinges. 2. Anything very large, forcible, or astonishing. [ Obsolete or Colloq.]
Herrick.
Swingle Swin"gle intransitive verb [ Freq. of
swing .]
1. To dangle; to wave hanging. [ Obsolete]
Johnson. 2. To swing for pleasure. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.]
Swingle Swin"gle transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Swingled ;
present participle & verbal noun Swingling .] [ See
Swingel .]
1. To clean, as flax, by beating it with a swingle, so as to separate the coarse parts and the woody substance from it; to scutch. 2. To beat off the tops of without pulling up the roots; -- said of weeds. [ Prov. Eng.]
Forby.
Swingle Swin"gle noun A wooden instrument like a large knife, about two feet long, with one thin edge, used for beating and cleaning flax; a scutcher; -- called also swingling knife , swingling staff , and swingling wand .
Swinglebar Swin"gleˇbar` noun A swingletree. De Quincey.
Swingletail Swin"gleˇtail` noun (Zoology) The thrasher, or fox shark. See Thrasher .
Swingletree Swin"gleˇtree` noun [ So named in allusion to its
swinging . See
Swingle ,
intransitive verb , and confer
Swingtree .]
A whiffletree, or whippletree. See Singletree .
Swingling Swin"gling adjective & noun from Swingle , transitive verb Swingling tow ,
the coarse part of flax, separated from the finer by swingling and hatcheling.
Swingtree Swing"tree` noun The bar of a carriage to which the traces are fastened; the whiffletree.
Swinish Swin"ish adjective Of or pertaining to swine; befitting swine; like swine; hoggish; gross; beasty; as, a swinish drunkard or sot. "
Swinish gluttony."
Milton. --
Swin"ish*ly ,
adverb --
Swin"ish*ness ,
noun
Swink Swink intransitive verb [
imperfect Swank ,
Swonk ;
past participle Swonken ;
present participle & verbal noun Swinking .] [ Anglo-Saxon
swincan , akin to
swingan . See
Swing .]
To labor; to toil; to salve. [ Obsolete or Archaic]
Or swink with his hands and labor.
Chaucer. For which men swink and sweat incessantly.
Spenser. The swinking crowd at every stroke pant "Ho."
Sir Samuel Freguson.
Swink Swink transitive verb 1. To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor. [ Obsolete]
And the swinked hedger at his supper sat.
Milton. 2. To acquire by labor. [ Obsolete]
Piers Plowman. To devour all that others swink .
Chaucer.
Swink Swink noun [ As.
swinc , ge
swinc .]
Labor; toil; drudgery. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer. Spenser.
Swinker Swink"er noun A laborer. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Swinney Swin"ney noun (Far.) See Sweeny .
Swipe Swipe noun [ Confer
Sweep ,
Swiple .]
1. A swape or sweep. See Sweep . 2. A strong blow given with a sweeping motion, as with a bat or club. Swipes [ in cricket] over the blower's head, and over either of the long fields.
R. A. Proctor. 3. plural Poor, weak beer; small beer. [ Slang, Eng.] [ Written also
swypes .]
Craig.
Swipe Swipe transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Swiped ;
present participle & verbal noun Swiping .]
1. To give a swipe to; to strike forcibly with a sweeping motion, as a ball. Loose balls may be swiped almost ad libitum .
R. A. Proctor. 2. To pluck; to snatch; to steal. [ Slang, U.S.]
Swiple Swi"ple noun [ See
Swipe .]
That part of a flail which strikes the grain in thrashing; a swingel. [ Written also
swipel , and
swipple .]
Swipper Swip"per adjective [ From Anglo-Saxon
swipian to whip, shake, whirl; akin to
swāpan to sweep. See
Swoop .]
Nimble; quick. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng. & Slang]
Swirl Swirl transitive verb & i. [
imperfect & past participle Swirled ;
present participle & verbal noun Swirling .] [ Akin to Norw.
svirla to whirl, freq. of
sverra to whirl, Danish
svirre , German
schwirren to whiz, to buzz. √177. See
Swarm ,
noun ]
To whirl, or cause to whirl, as in an eddy. "The river
swirled along."
C. Kingsley.
Swirl Swirl noun A whirling motion; an eddy, as of water; a whirl. "The silent
swirl of bats."
Mrs. Browning.
Swish Swish transitive verb [ From the sound. Confer
Swash .]
1. To flourish, so as to make the sound swish . Coleridge. 2. To flog; to lash. [ Slang]
Thackeray.
Swish Swish intransitive verb To dash; to swash.
Swish Swish noun 1. A sound of quick movement, as of something whirled through the air. [ Colloq.]
2. (Nautical) Light driven spray. [ Eng.]
Swiss Swiss noun sing. & plural [ French
Suisse , of German origin. Confer
Switzer .]
A native or inhabitant of Switzerland; a Switzer; the people of Switzerland.
Swiss Swiss adjective Of or pertaining to Switzerland, or the people of Switzerland.
Switch Switch noun [ Confer OD.
swick a scourage, a whip. Confer
Swink ,
Swing .]
1. A small, flexible twig or rod. Mauritania, on the fifth medal, leads a horse with something like a thread; in her other hand she holds a switch .
Addison. 2. (Railways) A movable part of a rail; or of opposite rails, for transferring cars from one track to another. 3. A separate mass or trees of hair, or of some substance (at jute) made to resemble hair, worn on the head by women. 4. (Electricity) A mechanical device for shifting an electric current to another circuit. Safety switch (Railways) ,
a form of switch contrived to prevent or lessen the danger of derailment of trains. --
Switch back (Railways) ,
an arrangement of tracks whereby elevations otherwise insurmountable are passed. The track ascends by a series of zigzags, the engine running alternately forward and back, until the summit is reached. --
Switch board (Electricity) ,
a collection of switches in one piece of apparatus, so arranged that a number of circuits may be connected or combined in any desired manner. --
Switch grass .
(Botany) See under Grass .
Switch Switch transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Switched ;
present participle & verbal noun Switching .]
1. To strike with a switch or small flexible rod; to whip. Chapman. 2. To swing or whisk; as, to switch a cane. 3. To trim, as, a hedge. [ Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell. 4. To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; -- generally with off , from , etc.; as, to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another. 5. (Eccl.) To shift to another circuit.
Switch Switch intransitive verb To walk with a jerk. [ Prov. Eng.]
Switch Switch noun (Electricity) A device for shifting an electric current to another circuit, or for making and breaking a circuit.
Switchel Switch"el noun [ See
Sweet .]
A beverage of molasses and water, seasoned with vinegar and ginger. [ U. S.]
Switching Switch"ing adjective & noun from Switch , v. Switching engine ,
a locomotive for switching cars from one track to another, and making up trains; -- called also switch engine . [ U.S.]
Switchman Switch"man noun ;
plural Switchmen One who tends a switch on a railway.
Switchy Switch"y adjective Whisking. [ Colloq.]
Coombe.
Swithe Swithe adverb [ Anglo-Saxon
swī...e strongly, violently.]
Instantly; quickly; speedily; rapidly. [ Obsolete]
That thou doest, do thou swithe .
Wyclif (John xiii. 27).
Switzer Switz"er noun [ Confer German
schweizer . Confer
Swiss .]
A native or inhabitant of Switzerland; a Swiss.
Swive Swive transitive verb [ Middle English
swiven , from Anglo-Saxon
swīfan . See
Swivel .]
To copulate with (a woman). [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Swivel Swiv"el noun [ Anglo-Saxon
swīfan to move quickly, to remove; akin to Icelandic
sveifla to whirl, shake,
svīfa to ramble, to turn. See
Swoop , and confer
Swift a reel,
Swift ,
adjective ]
1. (Mech.) A piece, as a ring or hook, attached to another piece by a pin, in such a manner as to permit rotation about the pin as an axis. 2. (Mil.) A small piece of ordnance, turning on a point or swivel; -- called also swivel gun . Wilhelm. Swivel bridge ,
a kind of drawbridge that turns round on a vertical axis; a swing bridge. --
Swivel hook ,
a hook connected with the iron strap of a pulley block by a swivel joint, for readily taking the turns out of a tackle. --
Swivel joint ,
a joint, the two pieces composing which turn round, with respect to each other, on a longitudinal pin or axis, as in a chain, to prevent twisting.
Swivel Swiv"el intransitive verb To swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot.
Swivel-eyed Swiv"el-eyed` adjective Squint- eyed. [ Prov. Eng.]
Swizzle Swiz"zle transitive verb To drink; to swill. Halliwell.
Swizzle Swiz"zle noun Ale and beer mixed; also, drink generally. [ Prov. Eng.]
Swob Swob noun & v. See Swab .
Swobber Swob"ber noun 1. See Swabber . 2. plural Four privileged cards, formerly used in betting at the game of whist. [ Written also
swabber .]
Swift.
Swollen Swoll"en past participle of Swell .
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