swingle-
in comb.: swingle-bar = swingletree 2; † swingle-foot, = swingle n.1 1; also attrib.; † swingle foot hards (see quot.); † swingle-head (?), -staff = swingle n.1 1; swingle-stick, -stock = swing-stock (swing- 2 b); swingle-tail, name for a species of shark, = thrasher1 2; swingle-wand = swingle n.1 1.
| 1849 De Quincey Eng. Mail-Coach ii. Wks. 1854 IV. 343 Either with the *swingle-bar, or with the haunch of our near leader, we had struck the off-wheel of the little gig. 1907 ‘Q’ (Quiller-Couch) Poison Isl. i. 8 The Royal Mail pulled up before Minden Cottage with a merry clash of bits and swingle-bars. |
| 1500 Ortus Vocab., Excussorium, a *swyngelfote. 1611 Cotgr., Farasse..the coursest of Hempe, Swingle foot herds, course towe. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. iii. 106/1 A Swingle Foot. A Swingle Hand, corruptly a Swingow Hond: a thing like a Wooden Fauchion with a square hole or handle. |
| 1677 Coles, Excudia and -ium, a *swingel-head. |
| 1664 Gouldman Lat. Eng. Dict., A *swingle-staff or bat to beat flax, scutula. 1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 390/1 The women stood about the fire, each beside her swingle-staff. This instrument is like a wooden pocket⁓knife, about two feet long, with legs supporting it at the height of a table. |
| c 1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 156 Vostre pessel, a *swinglestyk. |
| c 1340 Nominale (Skeat) 545 *Swangulstoke riplingcombe swyngilwande. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 581/29 Excudia, a swyngylstok. c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 795/11 Hec excudia, a sungyllestok. 1483 Cath. Angl. 374/2 A Swyngilstoke, excudia, excudium. |
| 1839 Storer in Boston Jrnl. Nat. Hist. II. 529 Carcharias vulpes. Lin... This species..is called by the fishermen ‘Thresher’, and ‘*Swingle tail’. |
| c 1340 *Swyngilwande [see swingle-stock]. 1808 Jamieson, Swingle-wand, the instrument with which flax is swingled. |