1899. Whiteing, John St., xiv. You two countries ought to swap grandmothers, and then you'd match.
1900. Savage, Brought to Bay, ii. Don Andres proposes to swap herd for herd, taking our cattle as they run, at fifteen dollars, and giving us half-breed sheep at three.
To get the swap (or swop),
verb. phr. (common).—To be dismissed.
To swap off, verb. phr. (American).—To cheat; to sell (q.v.).
1880. Harris, Uncle Remus, iv. Den Brer Fox know dat he been swap off mighty bad.
Swapper, subs. (common).—Anything large or big: see Whopper. Hence swapping = huge; strong; A1.
1589. Countercuffe given to Martin Junior. A filch-man in his hande, a swapping ale dagger at his back, containing by estimation some two or three pounds of yron in the hyltes and chape.
1624. Middleton, Game at Chess, iv. 2. Ay, marry, sir, here's swapping sins indeed.
Swarm, verb. (colloquial).—To climb; to shin up.
. . . Syr Isumbras, 351. He swarmed up into a tree, Whyle eyther of them might other se.
1888. Spectator [Century Dict.]. Swarming up the lightning conductor of a great church to fix a flag at the top of the steeple.
Swarry, subs. (common).—A boiled leg of mutton and trimmings.
1837. Dickens, Pickwick, xxxviii. Honourably accounts for Mr. Weller's absence by describing a . . . swarry . . . a boiled leg of mutton, hot, with caper sauce, turnips, and potatoes.
Swartwout, verb. (American).—To abscond. [From the name of a public defaulter in New York.]
Swash, verb. (old).—1. To make a noise: see quot. 1662. Hence swash-buckler (swash, swasher or swinge-buckler) = a sworder good at a lively peal on his opposite's target; and, therefore, by implication, a ruffler, bully, Hector. As subs. = bluster, vapouring, roaring; swashing (or swashy) = (1) noisy (a swashing blow); and (2) = loud-mouthed and quarrelsome.
1560. Pilkington, Works [Parker], 151. A drunkard, a whore-hunter, a gamer, a swash-buckler, a ruffian to waste his money in proud apparel.
1577-87. Holinshed, Chron. Ireland, 87. Whereby a man maie see how manie bloudie quarels a bralling swashbuckler maie picke out of a bottle of haie, namelie when his braines are forebitten with a bottle of nappie ale.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneid, ii. 220. Their tayls with croompled knot twisting swashlye they wrigled.
1595. Shakspeare, Romeo and Juliet, i. 1. Draw, if you be men—Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. Ibid. (1598), 2 Henry IV., iii. 2. 24. Shallow. You had not four such swinge-bucklers in all the inns o' court again. Ibid. (1599), Henry V., iii. 2. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers [Nym, Pistol, and Bardolph]. I am boy to them all three. Ibid. (1601), As You Like It, i. 3. We'll have a swashing and a martial outside, As many other mannish cowards have.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, 74. A bravo, a swash-buckler, one that for mony and good cheere will follow any man to defend him and fight for him, but if any danger come, he runs away the first and leaves him in the lurch. Ibid., 127. To fence, to swash with swords, to swagger.
1609. Holland, Am. Mar. Leo, a notarie afterwards, master of the offices, a very swash-buckler at every funerall, a knowne robber, and a Pannonian; one who breathed foorth of his savage mouth crueltie, and yet was neverthelesse greedie still of mansbloud.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 1. 54. Their men are very ruffians and swash-bucklers, having exceeding long blacke haire curled, and swords or other weapons by their sides.
