1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Bravache. A roister, cutter, swaggerer, swash buckler, one thats ever vaunting of his owne valour.
1625, Jonson, Staple of News, v. 1. I do confess a swashing blow.
1636. Heywood, Love's Mistress, 25. Ille ipse, the same; I desire no more than this sheep-hook in my hand to encounter with that swash-buckler.
1637. Davenant, Brit. Triumph. [Nares.] With courtly knights, not roaring country swashes.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, 'London.' A ruffian is the same with a swaggerer, so called, because endeavouring to make that side to swag or weigh down whereon he ingageth. The same also with swash-*buckler, from swashing or making a noise on bucklers.
1677. Ovid de Arte Antandi, 141. Or score out husbands in the charcoal ashes, With country knights, nor roaring city swashes.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 143. The lovely Aurora metamorphosed herself in a twinkling, and resumed her swashing outside.
Swash-bucket, subs. phr. (common).—A
slattern.
Swat, subs. (old).—1. A blow.
As subs. = to strike; to hit.
Verb. (school).—To work hard; to sweat (q.v.). [Orig. dialectical.] Also as subs. = hard study: spec. (Royal Military Academy) = mathematics.
Swatchel, subs. (Punch and
Judy).—Punch. Hence swatchel
(or schwassle)-box = the
Punch and Judy show; swatchel-cove
= a Punch and Judy
man: spec. the patterer. The
other terms connected with this
drama of the streets are:—Mozzy
= Judy; darkey = the
negro; vampo = the clown;
vampire = the ghost; buffer =
the dog; buffer-figure = the
dog's master; crocodile = the
demon; filio = the baby; the
frame = the street arrangement;
peepsies = the panpipes; nobbing-slum
= the bag for collecting
money; the letter cloth =
the advertisement; tambour =
the drum; the stalk (or prop)
= the gallows; the slum fake
= the coffin; the slum = the
call.
1887. Henley, Villon's Good Night. You swatchel-coves that pitch and slam.
Swattled, adj. (common).—Drunk:
see Screwed.
Swear, subs. (colloquial).—An
oath; a cuss (q.v.): also swear-word.
Also (colloquial) to
swear at (said of anything
incongruous): e.g. 'His frock
coat swore at his bowler-hat;
to swear like a lord
(trooper, etc.) = to volley oaths,
to make the air blue (q.v.);
to swear through a nine
inch plank (nautical) = to back
up any lie (C. Russell: 'a
favourite expression of Lord
Nelson when referring to American
skippers').
1531. Elyot, Governour (1834), 87. He that sweareth deep, sweareth like a lord.
1651. Cartwright, Ordinary [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), x. 295]. Gull'd by my swear; by my swear, gull'd. Ibid. I lose the taking, by my swear, of taking As much, whiles that I am receiving this.
1672. Ray, Proverbs, 'He'll swear through a nine inch board, a dagger out of sheath, the devil out of hell, 'till he's black in the face.'
1756. Foote, Eng. Returned from Paris. [To] swear like a trooper.
18[?]. Elect. Review (Amer.). [Century.] There has been in the past an immense quantity of scolding, occasionally a swear-word.
