▪ I. swarf, n.1 Sc.
(swarf)
Forms: 5, 8 swarff, 6 swerfe, suerf, 6–9 swerf, 7 swarfe, 7– swarf.
[Related to swarf v.]
A swoon, a fainting-fit; a state of faintness or insensibility.
| c 1470 Henry Wallace vii. 349 The Sotheron..Throuch full gluttre in swarff swappyt lik swyn. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 225 With that I seme for to swoune, thoghht I na swerf tak. c 1590 J. Stewart Poems (S.T.S.) II. 43/14 The scorching sychs,..Quhilk vith suerfs oursets his hardie hart. 1606 W. Birnie Kirk-Buriall (1833) 13 As if such superciliosity could sweeten the bitter swarfes of their sowre death. 1676 Row Contn. Blair's Autobiogr. ix. (1848) 143 Mr. Blair did fall into a fit of fainting or a kind of swarf. 1742 J. Mill Diary (S.H.S.) 3, I..fell down suddenly by a swerf or stoppage of blood. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix, Aw heard that he was feerious far gane in a swarf the tither day. 1894 Crockett Raiders 208 She wad gang aff again in a swarf. |
▪ II. swarf, n.2
(swɔːf, swɑːf)
Also 6 swarfe, 9 swarff; see also swaff2, swarth n.3, soife.
[repr. OE. ᵹeswearf, ᵹesweorf, ᵹeswyrf filings, or a. ON. svarf file-dust, related to sverfa to file: see swerve.]
a. The wet or greasy grit abraded from a grindstone or axle; the filings or shavings of iron or steel. Hence, any fine waste produced by a machining operation, esp. when in the form of strips or ribbons.
| 1566 Act 8 Eliz. c. 11. §3 No person..shall die..black, any Cappe w{supt}{suph} Barke or Swarfe, but only w{supt}{suph} Copperas and Gall or w{supt}{suph} Wood [v.r. Woade] and Madder. 1583 L. Mascall tr. Profitable Bk. D ij, Put..halfe so muche of swarfe of the grindstone. 1640 in Entick London (1766) II. 174 Fileings of iron, called swarf. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Axungia, the Grease or Swarf in the Axle-tree of a Wheel. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Swarf, iron filings. 1884 H. J. Palmer in Eng. Illustr. Mag. Aug. 666/1 The knife-grinder..is saturated with the wet ‘swarff’ (powdered stone) which dyes him a deep saffron colour from head to toe. 1917 Yorkshire Post 3 Jan. 4/6 Rough copper, copper ore, and copper scrap and swarf in the possession of or due under existing contract to a manufacturer. 1953 Times 23 Oct. 5/3 There's swarf—chips of wood, metal, etc.—grinding around in your expensive machinery and shortening its life. 1970 P. Dickinson Seals ii. 41 Down the inside rim of the second key-hole there was..a thin curl of swarf still attached to the main brass. 1973 J. G. Tweeddale Materials Technol. II. vi. 142 In more ductile materials chips may remain partially bonded to each other to form continuous severely-work-hardened ribbons sometimes called swarf. |
| Comb. 1909 Spectator 25 Dec. 1094/2 A swarf-stained son of ‘the wheel’. |
b. spec. The material cut out of a gramophone record as the groove is made.
| 1935 H. C. Bryson Gramophone Record x. 275 When metal is recorded upon..it is often necessary to arrange for the removal of the swarf either by blowing..or by means of a small brush. 1947 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers XCIV. iii. 288/2 By using a suction system to remove swarf continuously while recording, these troubles are avoided. 1977 Times 18 Apr. (Gramophone Suppl.) p. iv/7 For a long-playing record, this swarf, a strip narrower than a human hair, might be half a mile long. |
Hence (rarely) as v. trans. with up, to make dirty with swarf; swarfed ppl. a., dirtied with swarf, mucky. colloq.
| 1914 D. H. Lawrence Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd i. i. 4 A man in blue overalls, swarfed and greased. Ibid. 5 Mrs. Holroyd:..Here, take hold, and help me fold it. Blackmore: I shall swarf it up. |
▪ III. † swarf, n.3 Obs.
Also 7 swarfe, swarff.
[Variant of swarth n.1: see th (6).]
1. = sward n. 2.
| 1599 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 284/1 Lie Elie-law et totum lie swarf ei adjacentem. 1603 Ibid. 524/2 Lie swarff, wrak et wair eisdem adjacentibus. 1664 O. Heywood Diaries etc. (1883) III. 84 The whole field hath a little swarfe with grasse at the top. |
2. fig. Surface. nonce-use.
| a 1599 Rollock Lect. Passion etc. xli. (1616) 408 His joye is light, and proceedes onely from the swarfe of the soule. |
▪ IV. † swarf, a. Obs.
Variant of swarth a. (Cf. prec.)
| 1619 Heath House of Correction B 2 b, Because I'me black and swarfe. 1621 Quarles Argalus & P. (1678) 96 Her face did shrowd A swarff Complexion. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 200 A dainty fine shee-slaue, not swarfe and tawney..but faire and well-favour'd. |
So † swarfish a. = swarthish; † swarfy (-fie, -ffie, -vy) a. = swarthy a.1
| 1602 Salmasis & Hermaphroditus D 2 b, While the black night with her pitchie hand Tooke just possession of the swarfie land. 1643 Baker Chron., Rich. III. 137 His face little and round, his complexion swarfie. 1671 Blagrave Astrol. Physic 77 Complexion muddy or swarfish. 1688 Holme Armoury i. 13/2 Swart, Swarvy or Tawny-moor colour. |
▪ V. swarf, v. Sc. and north. dial.
(swarf)
Also 6 swarth, 7 swerf, 7, 9 swarve, 9 swerve, swairf, swaif, etc. (see Eng. Dial. Dict.).
[? a. ON. svarfa to upset (Norw. svarva to agitate or be agitated, lit. and fig.), with specialized development of meaning. See swerve v.]
1. intr. To faint, swoon.
| 1513 Douglas æneis xi. xv. 116 All paill and bludles swarthis [v.r. swarfis] scho rycht thair. c 1614 Mure Dido & æneas ii. 760 He..stood vnmov'd, whill I for greiff did swarve. 1637–50 Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 324 No sooner did he heare a ham spoken of but he swarfed. 1660 A. Hay Diary (S.H.S.) 234 After sermons my wiffe swerfed in the kirk. 1790 Burns Battle of Sheriffmuir iv, Mony a huntit, poor red-coat, For fear amaist did swarf. 1816 Scott Antiq. xxvii, He was like a man awa frae himsell..and I thought he wad hae swarv't a' thegither. a 1837 R. Nicoll Poems (1843) 143 The bairnies crowd round him his stories to hear Whill maistly the wee things are swarfin' in fear. 1892 Lumsden Sheep-head & Trotters 32 Old Magge..drew near And swarf'd outright wi' gladsome fright. |
2. trans. To cause to faint; to stupefy.
| 1813 Picken Poems I. 120 A sight had nearhaun swarf'd the callan. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. s.v. Luscan, The scene..swarf'd him so, that he could not utter a word. |
▪ VI. swarf
see swerve.