▪ I. † swing, n.1 Obs.
[OE. ᵹeswing, in form and origin identical with ᵹeswing swing n.2 (sense 1), f. Teut. swiŋgw- (see swing v.1) used in the same sense as the parallel form swiŋkw- (see swink v., to toil).]
Labour, toil.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Spelman) lxxxix. 11 [xc. 10] Eorum labor et dolor, heora ᵹeswing & sar. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 145 Þer scal beon..hele wið-uten unhele, reste wið-uten swinge. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 566 Ðor buten noe long swing he dreȝ. |
▪ II. swing, n.2
(swɪŋ)
Also 4–5 swyng(e, 6–7 swinge.
[In sense 1 app. representing OE. ᵹeswing (see also prec. n.) in comp. hand-, sweordᵹeswing stroke with a weapon in fight (otherwise only in phr. {yacu}ða ᵹeswing impetus of waves; cf. sense 6), f. Teut. swiŋgw- (see swing v.1), whence also OE. swinge wk. f., stroke with a rod or scourge, corresp. to OFris. swing (also swang, sweng) blow, sprinkling, swinge swingletree, OHG. swingâ swinglestaff, wing, MHG. swinge, G. schwinge winnowing-fan, pl. wings. (Cf. sweng.) For sense 2, see note there. The other senses are directly from swing v.1]
I. Abstract senses.
† 1. a. A stroke with a weapon. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xv. 188 The Mawndwell by his armyng He knew, and roucht him sic a swyng That he till erd ȝeid hastely. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3360 Many swayne with þe swynge has the swette leuede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1271 With a swinge of his sworde [he] swappit hym in þe fase. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 9018 Odemoun..Toke Menelaus In that swyng And him bare ouer his hors tayl. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 1232 With a swyng of a swerd [he] swappis of hes hede. |
b. in a swing: suddenly. (Cf. F. tout d'un coup.) Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xvii. 574 Sic abasing Tuk thame, but mar, in-to a swyng, Thai gaf the bak all, and to-ga. |
† 2. to bear the swing: to have full sway or control. Also (to have) swing and sway. Obs.
In this use swing app. arose as a substitute or variant of swinge: see swinge n.1 1.
| 1552 Latimer Cert. Godly Serm. (1562) 132 b, At the tyme when the Cardinall was aloft, and beare the swynge [ed. 1584 swyng]. 1565 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 370 Sa lang as sum of thame buir the haill swynge with us thame selffis. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. (1570) 15 b, Whan honest Parmenos shall not be hard, but beare small swing [ed. 1571 swinge] with their masters. 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xi. 49 Throw the all Tratoures blythlie sing... Throw the murther wald beir the swing. 1622 Massinger & Dekker Virgin Martyr ii. i. D ij b, Shee tooke vs, tis true, from the gallowes, yet I hope she will not barre yeomen sprats to haue their swinge. 1631 Massinger Emperor East iv. i. (1632) H 2, That shee might still continue Her absolute sway, and swing ore the whole state. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, The Glance ii, Had the malicious and ill-meaning harm His swing and sway. |
3. The course of a career, practice, period of time, etc., esp. as marked by vigorous action of some kind. Now chiefly in phr. in full swing, in the full swing of{ddd}
| 1570 Foxe A. & M. I. 1/2 The time of Antichrist, or desolation of the Churche, whose full swinge conteineth the space of 400 yeares. a 1618 W. Bradshaw Medit. Mans Mortal. (1621) 19 Sleepe is but short... And as it is but short of it selfe, though it should last the full swinge of nature: so the soundest sleepe, is easily broken. 1680 C. Nesse Church-Hist. 220 Thinking to take a long swing in sin. 1689 T. R. View Govt. Europe 31 Puft up and wanton with their new acquisitions and swing of fortune. 1702 Farquhar Twin Rivals iv. i, To disturb me thus, just in the swing and stretch of my full Fortune! 1850 Grote Greece ii. lvii. (1862) V. 119 She [sc. Athens] was in the full swing of hope. 1861 Meredith Evan Harrington xlv, A barrister in full swing of practice. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. iv, He had had his full swing of success for two years. 1864 Huxley in Life (1900) I. xviii. 253 My lectures tire me, from want of practice... I shall soon get into swing. 1894 Hall Caine Manxman v. iii, It was still early in the herring season, but the fishing was in full swing. |
† 4. Impulse; inclination, tendency: = swinge n.1 3. Obs.
| 1538 St. Papers Hen. VIII, III. 39 The saide Lorde Deputie refused to accepte the same, whiche afterwarde, of his awne swynge..he receyved. 1549 Latimer 5th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 150 They would haue a Kynge of theyr owne swinge and of theyr owne election. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. (1570) 14 b, Where the swing goeth, there to follow, fawne, flatter. a 1607 Brightman Bright. Rediv. iii. (1647) 50 Christ did not of his own Swing and Counsell leap into the Office of Reconciliation. 1614 D. Dyke Myst. Selfe-Deceiuing 335 If wee can follow the swing and sway of our owne proud, and vaineglorious affections. a 1704 Locke in Ld. King Life (1830) II. 220 From their cradles some..have been..given up to the conduct and swing of their inconsiderate desires. a 1716 South Serm., 1 Kings xiii. 33–4 (1727) I. 137 Were it not for these, Civil Government were not able to stand before the prevailing Swing of corrupt Nature. |
5. Freedom of action, free scope: = swinge n.1 2; esp. in phr. to take, have one's (full) swing, to allow oneself every freedom, indulge oneself to the full, have one's fling. (See note under sense 8.)
| 1584 Lyly Campaspe iii. ii. 34 Psyllus. How canst thou thus diuine, deuide, define, dispute, and all on the suddaine? Manes. Wit wil haue his swing. 1587 Harrison England ii. xvi. in Holinshed I. 199/2 Wherby it appeereth that some sort of youth will oft haue his swinge, although it be in a halter. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. Ded., He had, (according to our homely Saying) his full swing at this Poem, beginning it about the Age of Thirty Five; and scarce concluding it before he arriv'd at Forty. 1698 Farquhar Love & Bottle ii. iii, The fellow will have his swing, tho he hang for't. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 503 ¶2 This Creature came among us only to give herself Airs, and enjoy her full Swing in being admir'd. 1731 Fielding Letter-Writers i. ii, I resolved to take one swing in the charming plains of iniquity. 1808 Scott Marm. i. xvii, Let the wild falcon soar her swing. 1860 C. M. Yonge Hopes & Fears I. 244 Trust me that things will adjust themselves all the better for letting them have their swing. 1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma (1876) 16 The giving free swing to one's temper and instincts. 1908 S. E. White Riverman ix, She was a kindly girl, whose parents gave her free swing. |
6. a. Forcible motion of a body swung or flung. (Also fig.) arch.
| 1595 Locrine v. iv. 189 That..she might haue died a death Worse then the swing of old Ixions wheele. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 207 The Ramme that batters downe the wall, For the great swing and rudenesse of his poize [etc.]. 1697 Dryden æneid xi. 933 Swelling Surges..Bound o're the Rocks, incroach upon the Land;..Then backward with a Swing, they take their Way. Ibid. xii. 1335 And rising as he threw, With its full swing the fatal Weapon flew. 1895 Morris Beowulf xiv. 30 The dread swing of the waves [orig. atol yða ᵹeswing] was washing all mingled With hot blood. |
b. Continuous vigorous movement or progress.
| 1856 H. H. Dixon Post & Paddock i. 24 He [sc. a horse] would insist on walking through the brook instead of taking it in his swing. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xi, The..casual voyager..might have beheld the..eight-oar coming with a steady swing up the last reach. 1865 Morn. Star 5 July, When the train was getting on the ‘swing’ (attaining a high speed). |
c. full swing (advb. phr.): at full speed; with the utmost vigour or energy.
| 1848 H. Miller First Impr. Eng. vii. (1857) 110 He returned full swing to the gratification of the grosser propensities of his nature. 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. li, Round they go, full swing, every hound throwing his tongue. 1887 Jessopp Arcady viii. 236 While the northern mail was coming along full swing through the parish. |
d. A swift tour or journey (through a place) involving a number of stops or visits. Now spec. a political campaign tour; also, swing around the circle, a campaigning tour of a constituency or larger area. Cf. swing v.1 11 c. U.S.
| 1860 H. J. Hawley Jrnl. 22 Apr. in Wisconsin Mag. Hist. (1936) XIX. 330 Had a fine time a nice swing..saw sights and returned. 1905 Springfield (Mass.) Weekly Republican 6 Oct. 1 Will the appropriated money be available for campaigning swings around the circle? 1929 Sun (Baltimore) 23 Oct. 2/7 Mr. Hoover has undergone much strain on this swing and he showed it as he waved a weary adieu to the hospitable Ohioans. 1949 Manch. Guardian Weekly 1 Sept. 2 Before his recent swing around the Marshall countries. 1967 Boston Globe 5 Apr. 51/1 Dizzy Dean's wife once traveled with him on an Eastern swing by the Cardinals. 1972 Even. Telegram (St. John's, Newfoundland) 27 June 5/3 Senior citizens can call a number and a van will come by to pick them up on swings through the city. 1978 L. Heren Growing up on The Times iii. 92, I..was sharing a room..with Colin Reid of the Daily Telegraph, who was on a swing from Beirut. |
e. A worker's rest period between duties; a shift system which incorporates such breaks. Also, time off work as leave, furlough. Cf. swing-shift s.v. swing- 2 a. U.S. slang.
| 1917 D. C. Roper U.S. Post Office 353 Swing, period of time within the day's tour or ‘trick’ when an employee is temporarily off duty. 1918 Outlook (N.Y.) 17 July 443/2 [On a street railway] The ‘swings’, or free time between runs, are for the most part so arranged as to be inconvenient for going home. 1945 Transit News (Capital Transit Co., Washington, D.C.) 15 June, A ‘Swing’ works during the morning rush hour, and the operator is then off until time to start the evening rush hour. 1972 J. Mills Report to Commissioner 129, I went on my swing after that. |
f. In colloq. phr. to go with a swing: said of a lively, successful party or other entertainment or undertaking.
| 1976 Bridgwater Mercury 21 Dec. 9/3 Families may soon be enjoying a tipple at the bar to make their parties held in the community centre go with a swing. |
7. a. The act of swinging or waving about a weapon or other body; a movement describing a curve, such as that made in flourishing a weapon, raising the arm or hand to give a blow, etc.
| 1635 Quarles Embl. iii. xii. 30 The farther off we go, The swing of Iustice deales the mightier blow. 1771 Lonnergan Fencer's Guide 87 By the swing you give, you may find way still for a thrust to enter upon me, if you do not disarm me; but if your wrist is swung too far from the Line, you must spring back to avoid a thrust that may come at you. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 582 He now heats the bulb in the fire,..and by a dexterous swing or two he lengthens it. 1853 R. S. Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour iii. 10 [He] brought his right arm round with a sort of military swing to his forehead. 1876 Tennyson Harold v. i, Swaying his two-handed sword about him, Two deaths at every swing. 1887 Field 19 Feb. 242/2 By ‘swing’ I understand keeping the gun moving with the object for a short time before firing. 1891 H. Herman His Angel ii. 31 The woodwork of the car was flying in splinters under the rapid swing of an axe. 1892 Greener Breech Loader 205 Those who shoot with the gun on the swing. 1899 Hutchinson, etc. Bk. Golf ii. 42 Instantaneous photographs of first-class players taken when at the top of the swing. 1908 T. Burns Scientific Boxing ii. 33 The quickest punches are necessarily the straight arm ones. They will always get there quicker than any round arm swing. |
b. Boxing. A punch delivered with a sweep of the arm; a swinging blow. Also in gen. colloq. use, esp. in phr. to take a swing at (someone).
| 1910 [see hook n.1 13 b]. 1962 Times 28 Apr. 3/5 Barlow came rushing in attempting to land with right swings to the head. 1983 W. Winward Last & Greatest Art 211 If I stand here much longer I'm going to be tempted to take a swing at you. |
8. a. The act of swinging or oscillating, as a suspended body, or a body turning (to and fro, or in either direction) upon a fixed centre or axis, e.g. upon a hinge; an oscillating or swaying movement, oscillation; also, the amount of oscillation, the arc or curve traced or moved through in this way. Also with adv., as swing-to, the act of swinging to.
In quot. 1589 with reference to hanging and play on sense 5, where cf. quots. 1587, 1698.
| 1589 Nashe Martins Months Minde To Rdr., Wks. (Grosart) I. 160 If these men may haue their swaie (but wee hope first they shall haue their swing). 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Necessitie of Hanging Wks. ii. 133/1 One hanging is a necessary thing, Which is a pretty gamball, cald a Swing. [note] A swing or stretch for exercise and health. 1677 Miege Fr. Dict., To give one a great swing, donner à quêcun une grande secousse. 1729 Boyer Royal Dict. s.v., He may have a Swing, (or be hang'd) for't. 1775 J. Steele Ess. Melody Speech 68 The rhythmical pulsation is regularly periodical and constant as the swings of a pendulum. 1777 Cook Voy. Pacific iii. ix. (1784) II. 167 They say, that a goddess, having a lump or mass of earth suspended in a cord, gave it a swing, and scattered about pieces of land. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. ii. (1842) 56 A swing of a foot or two in extent should then be given to it, so as to produce centrifugal force. 1853 Dale tr. Baldeschi's Ceremonial 35 He..incenses the Celebrant with three double swings. 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. xxvii, Charley was speedily at a white gate, whose sound and easy swing denoted an entrance of some pretension. 1867 Morris Jason ix. 288 Argo, leaping forward to the swing Of measured oars. 1869 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 443 At first the time is bad, there is not sufficient ‘swing’ or ‘catching at the beginning’. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coalmining, Swing, the arc or curve described by the point of a pick or maundril when being used by a holer or in cutting coal; called the swing of the pick. 1901 G. Douglas House w. Green Shutters 289 The sharp swing-to of the door. a 1903 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Last Hope ii, The swing of her tapering masts spoke of the heaving seas she had left behind. |
| fig. 1877 R. Giffen Stock Exch. Securities 153 There is an upward and downward swing, as of a pendulum, in the prices of securities. 1891 Sir R. Ball Ice Age 167 At the other end of the swing the summer in the Northern hemisphere will be seven days shorter than the winter in the same hemisphere. |
b. on the swing: swinging from side to side, oscillating.
| 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. xxxviii, His dressing⁓table was covered with blacks—his looking-glass was on the swing—his soap was reduced to a wafer. 1882 Sala Amer. Revis. (1885) 166 The..doors were..on the swing. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer xiii. (1891) 128 The pace was frightful by this time, the coach on the swing. |
c. A form of penance performed by Hindus: see swing v.1 6 (b).
| 1852 [Mrs. F. L. Mortimer] Far Off, Hindostan 103 There is another way of torture quite as painful—it is the swing. Those [Hindoos] who determine to swing, allow the blacksmith to drive hooks into the flesh upon their backs, and hanging by these hooks they swing in the air. |
d. The distance which determines the diameter of the work that can be admitted by a lathe.
| 1875 in Knight Dict. Mech. |
e. A sweeping movement.
| 1897 Badminton Mag. IV. 386 Presently the hounds took a swing to the left and over the edge of the hill again. |
f. The leaning outward from the vehicle of the upper part of a wheel.
| 1875 in Knight Dict. Mech. |
g. Cricket. A curving deviation of a ball from a straight line of flight on delivery, occasioned by a combination of the angle of its seam and the relative smoothness of the leather each side of this.
| 1906 Cricket 29 Nov. 450/1 He and Raynor..were two of the best boy bowlers I have seen, and the latter had more break—not swing—in the air than anyone else I ever saw. 1920 Lyttelton & Wilson in P. F. Warner Cricket (ed. 2) 270 Baker did not swing too much..and he combined swing with length. 1976 J. Snow Cricket Rebel 101 It is not often in Australia that the atmospheric conditions encourage swing. |
h. An observable movement in general opinion away from one position towards another. Hence spec. in Pol., a change in the relative distribution of popular support for political parties, often measured in terms of percentage gains or losses by each party at a poll. Formerly also † swing of the pendulum.
| 1899 Pall Mall Mag. Jan. 42 Affairs took a swing under me and took me off my balance. 1912 Contemp. Rev. Dec. 835 It is evident that a swing of public opinion has occurred. 1933 D. W. Brogan Amer. Polit. System x. iv. 368 The strength of American parties is, as a rule, too sectional, too much divorced from any current national controversies, for there to be anything like our ‘swing of the pendulum’. 1940 Economist 5 Oct. 421/2 The swing in American public opinion has been such that the Nazis may well despair of keeping the United States out of a long war. 1945 Times 27 July 4/1 When the votes were counted..it was revealed that the Government formed by Mr Churchill on the break-up of the Coalition had been decisively beaten by a surging swing of opinion to the Left. 1955 Times 26 May 10/1 The absence of any pronounced ‘swing’ towards the Government. 1960 Where? III. 17 ‘Swing’, the, jargon for the relatively recent tendency among sixth form pupils to specialize in science rather than arts subjects. a 1974 R. Crossman Diaries (1975) I. 493 It was only a 3·1 swing, and by God a 3·1 swing can become a 4·0 counter-swing very quickly indeed. 1976 H. Wilson Governance of Britain ii. 38 We had bad county council results in April, including Lancashire though with a favourable swing in Greater London. |
i. Electr. An increase or decrease in the magnitude of a current or voltage, the difference between its greatest and smallest values.
| 1908 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 1907 622 These [oscillations]..are transferred..into a closed air-condenser circuit, which, when its swings reach a maximum, overflows into the coherer. 1957 Practical Wireless XXXIII. 562/2 It is possible to increase the anode voltage swing and the anode peak current. 1978 Sci. Amer. Dec. 54/1 Load-following generators are started daily and run most of the time to cope with daily swings in the load; they may be shut down at night. |
j. Psychol.: see mood swing s.v. mood n.1 3 f.
k. Bridge. The difference between the total scores of two teams of two pairs playing the same deal at two tables, each team having north-south positions at one table and east-west at the other.
| 1945 S. J. Simon Why You lose at Bridge 24 In Room 1, North-South bid six Spades and made five. In Room 2, North-South stopped in 4 spades and declarer, playing for safety, made three. No swing! 1949 Contract Bridge Jrnl. Feb. 5/2 On the very next hand the Scots repaid the compliment; at this stage they were going great guns, and on Board 54 came the biggest swing to-date. 1961 Listener 10 Aug. 222/3 The swing on the board was 2,080, or 11 match points. |
9. Movement of the body or limbs in a manner suggesting the action of swinging.
| 1730 Swift Tom & Dick Wks. 1755 IV. i. 261 Tom had the genteeler swing, His hat could nicely put on. a 1739 Jarvis 2nd Pt. Quix. ii. xiii. (1742) II. 157 Don Quixote, who was not used to alight without having his stirrop held,..threw his body off with a swing. 1752 Johnson Rambler No. 194 ¶6 One was detected by his gait, and another by the swing of his arms. 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. (1824) 388 An easy swing in my walk. 1901 Daily News 1 Apr. 5/7 [In rowing] Their recovery was lively, their swing-forward remarkably steady and well-balanced. |
10. a. A steady vigorous rhythm or movement characterizing a verse or musical composition.
| 1829 Cunningham Brit. Paint. I. 171 Distinguished by a vigorous swing of versification. 1879 Church Spenser 46 In the Shepherd's Calender we have for the first time in the century, the swing, the command, the varied resources of the true poet. 1884 Congregationalist Feb. 109 The ‘swing’ and ‘go’..of these popular religious ballads. |
b. Mus. A quality of jazz, dance music, etc., that has a flowing but strongly compelling rhythm; since the mid-thirties (esp. for a decade), applied to a variety of big dance-band music played in this style. Cf. swing- 2 d.
| (a) 1899 H. H. Mincer (song-title) Virginia. Two-step & hot rag swing. 1917 Sun (N.Y.) 5 Aug. 3/7 Jazz is based on the savage musician's wonderful gift for progressive retarding and acceleration guided by his sense of swing. 1924 (music-title) Lou'siana swing [performed by Piron's New Orleans Orchestra]. 1932 ‘Duke’ Ellington (song-title) It don't mean a thing (If it ain't got that swing). 1939 ― in Melody Maker 15 July 8/3 No notes represent swing. You can't write swing because swing is the emotional element in the audience and there is no swing until you hear the note. 1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) IV. 600/1 ‘Swing’..can only be said to designate the regular but subtle rhythmic pulsation which animates 4–4 time and must be present in every good jazz performance. Swing is essentially the performer's concern: it cannot be indicated in musical notation except implicitly. |
| (b) 1936 Delineator CXXIX. 10/1 This swing, it's nothing more or less than jazz, is it? 1937 L. Armstrong Swing that Music xiv. 117 Even now, thirty years after Swing was born, this book is the first history of swing music, and of the men who made it, to be published in the English language. 1943 D. Welch Maiden Voyage xiv. 110 ‘What kind of records have you got?’ ‘There's plenty of swing.’ 1957 R. Hoggart Uses of Literacy v. 129 The emotional patterns bodied out by ‘swing’ are quite close to those of the older, waltz-derived, styles: in fact, ‘swing’ has been adapted and assimilated; a modern ‘swing’ song and an old-fashioned waltz tune live together with ease. 1973 J. Wainwright Pride of Pigs 61 It wasn't jazz. Not real jazz... Swing..that's what they'd called it, when [Artie] Shaw had introduced it in the 1930's. |
II. Concrete senses.
11. a. A contrivance used for recreation, consisting of a seat which is suspended from above on ropes or rods and on which a person may sit and swing to and fro; also = swing-boat (swing- 2).
| 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 45 In the Morning the Streets are full of Swings, adorned with Festoons. 1799 S. & Ht. Lee Canterb. T. III. 325 There once hung my infantine swing between two limes. 1813 Sporting Mag. XLII. 20 There were the usual swings, ups-and-downs, and roundabouts. 1886 Ruskin Præterita xii. §258. I. 428 A post to tie a swing to. |
b. Colloq. phr. to gain on the swings and lose on the roundabouts and varr., according to which one's losses in one quarter balance one's gains in another. Also allusively.
| 1912 P. R. Chalmers Green Days & Blue Days 20 For ‘up an' down an' round,’ said 'e, goes all appointed things, An' losses on the roundabouts means profits on the swings! 1927 Times 24 Mar. 15/5 By screwing more money out of tax-payers he diminishes their savings, and the market for trustee securities loses on the swings what it gains on the roundabouts. 1944 G. B. Shaw Everybody's Political What's What xv. 121, I was taxed at a higher rate than my fellow capitalists who had smaller incomes. But then I had to pay at a lower rate than others who had bigger incomes. Whether I lost on the swings what I gained on the roundabouts I do not know. 1964 English Studies XLV. (Suppl.). 98 The more a word loses in meaning, the more it gains in functional, as distinct from semantic, importance. What we lose on the swings we win on the roundabouts. 1976 Listener 18 Nov. 641/1 There is a certain rough justice in charging for the possibility of using the [broadcasting] service... Swings and round⁓abouts. |
12. † a. A pendulum. Obs.
| 1696 Derham Artif. Clock-m. ii. 14. |
† b. A noose for hanging, halter. Obs.
| 1697 Abell in Potter Antiq. Greece i. xxv. I. 126 That he might there make swings above the floor For all his nasty Queans, who'd play'd the Whore. |
c. A hawser for making fast a boat.
| 1834 H. Miller Scenes & Leg. xii. (1850) 177 The small hawser attached to the stem, known technically as the swing, which he wound securely round a jutting crag. |
d. The rope or chain attached to the tongue of a wagon, along which the draught animals between the leaders and the wheelers are attached, they being said to be in the swing; hence, the animals occupying that position (more fully, swing-pair, swing-steer, swing-team).
| 1869 [see lead n.2 11 b]. 1891 in Cent. Dict. 1907 Morn. Post 21 May 9/3 The splendid sextet, Jim and Henry in the wheel, Billy and Phil in the swing, and Mace and Dude in the lead. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 28 May 9/3 The two wheelers of the team..The swing pair,..and the two leaders. 1909 Cent. Dict., Suppl., Swing-team, in a logging-team of six, the pair between the leaders and the butt team. |
e. The outriders who keep a moving herd of cattle in order. Also swing-men, swing-riders. U.S.
| 1903 A. Adams Log Cowboy iii. 28. Ibid. x. 137 He rode up from his position of third man in the swing. |
f. ‘A kind of suspensory cradle or sling for a broken leg’ (Dorland Med. Dict. 1901).
g. Photogr. = swing-back (swing- 2).
| 1878 Abney Photogr. (1881) 244 On one side of the picture a near object may have to be represented; by using the horizontal swing, it may often be brought into focus. |
▪ III. swing, v.1
(swɪŋ)
Pa. tense swung (swʌŋ), rarely swang (swæŋ); pa. pple. swung. Forms: 1 swingan, (suinga), 2 swingen, (4 suing(e, squynge), 4–5 swynge, 4–6 swinge, swyng, 5– swing. pa. tense strong 1, 3, 5– swang (1 pl. swungon, 3 pl. swonge(n), 4 suang, squang(e, 4–5 swange, swonge, 4–7 swong, 8– swung; weak 4 swyngede, 5 swynget, swinget, 6 swynged, 7 swinged. pa. pple. strong 1 swungen, (1, 4 suungen), 3 iswonge, 4 yswonnge, yswongen, iswungen, suongen, swngen, squongin, 4–5 swongen, swonge, (5 swongyn, -on), 8– swung; weak 6 swynged, 6–8 swinged.
[OE. swingan, pa. tense swang, swungon, pa. pple. ᵹeswungen to scourge, chastise, beat up, intr. to move violently or impetuously, related to OFris. swinga (also swenga, swanga) to fling, besprinkle, MLG. swingen str., to fling, hurl, swingle flax, intr. to fling oneself, fly, swengen wk., intr. and refl. to throw oneself in any direction, rotate, wheel round, LG. swingen to swingle, OHG. swingan to hurl, fling, beat, intr. to move rapidly, fly, (MHG. swingen, G. schwingen to brandish, flourish, shake, winnow, swingle, intr. or refl. to swing, oscillate, swing oneself up, etc., bound, soar, rise, whence Sw. svinga, Da. svinge), Goth. afswaggwjan in pass. rendering ἐξαπορηθῆναι to be in doubt or anxiety; f. Teut. swiŋgw-, older sweŋgw-: swaŋgw- (swaŋgwj-), to be or to put in violent (circular or rotatory) motion; whence also the forms recorded s.v. swang v., swing n.1 and n.2, swing v.2, sweng, swenge, swinge, and prob. swange, swong.]
† 1. trans. To scourge, whip, flog, beat (a person); also, to strike with a weapon or the hand.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) E 477 Exalaparetur, suungen. 971 Blickl. Hom. 15 Hie hine bindað & swingaþ & spætliað on his onsyne. Ibid. 23 Hie hine swungon, & bundon. Ibid. 243 Swingaþ hine on his muð. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xxxvii. 158 And hine man þa swang & mid saglum beot. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 149 [He] ofte for his sunne swingeð him mið smele twige. a 1300 Cursor M. 26019 Efter he was wit skurges suungen [Fairf. squongin]. c 1330 Assump. Virg. (B.M. MS.) 443 With oute gult þei me swongen, And to a piler þei me bounden. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13054 Ilk oþer wroþ, ilk oþer swong. a 1400 Octavian (Sarrazin) 2 Jesu, þat was..for vs hard and sore yswonnge. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 5 How xrist was with scourgis swongyn. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxiii. 470 Blo and blody thus am I bett, Swongen with swepys. |
b. To beat (the flesh) from, (the blood) out of.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9102 (Cott.) Vte of his bak þe blode þai suang. a 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 142 Þe flesch was from þe bones swonge. |
c. Cookery. To beat up, ‘whip’ (milk, eggs, etc.). Obs.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 14 Ᵹif poc sy on eaᵹan nim arsapan & hinde meoluc mæng to somne & swyng. ? c 1390 Form of Cury in Warner Antiq. Culin. (1791) 10 Breke ayrenn and do thereto; and swyng it wel togydr. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 11 Swyng eyryn, and do þer to. a 1500 Recipes in Babees Bk. (1868) 53 Recipe brede gratyd, & eggis; & swyng þam to-gydere. |
d. intr. To strike a blow with a sword; to come together with blows; to deliver a blow at.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 3856 Swiftli seþþe with swerdes swonge þei to-gider. a 1375 Joseph Arim. 576 Þe white kniht wiþ his swerd swyngede to hem sone. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 957 He swyngis out with a swerd & swappis him to dethe. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13590 Pirrus swappit out his sword, swange at þe kyng. c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 314 Wallace thar with swyth with a suerd out swang. |
† 2. trans. To throw with force, fling, hurl.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7527 (Cott.) His arms fra him did he suing [Fairf. squynge]. c 1480 Henryson Mor. Fab., Fox, Wolf & Cadger xviii, He hint him be the heillis, And with ane swak he swang him on the creillis. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. xv. cii. (W. de W.), He swange [Bodl. MS. swenged] the adder in to the fire. |
† 3. intr. To move or go impetuously; to rush; to fling oneself. Obs.
| Beowulf 2264 (Gr.) Nis hearpan wyn,..ne god hafoc ᵹeond sæl swingeð, ne se swifta mearh burhstede beateð. a 1300 Cursor M. 7582 Wit þat stan he laid in sling, Sua stalworthli he lete it suing Þat in his frunt þat stan he fest. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1059 Þat foysoun flode..Swyþe hit swange þurȝ vch a strete. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1562 Þe lorde..Swez his vncely swyn, þat swyngez bi þe bonkkez. 14.. Sir Beues 497 (Pynson) Al at onys on hym they swonge And gaue hym woundes wyde and longe. a 1553 Udall Royster D. ii. iii. (Arb.) 35 Tib. Talk. Well Trupenie neuer but flinging. An. Alyface. And frisking? Trupenie. Well Tibet and Annot, still swingyng and whiskyng? 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 50 Two serpents..Plasht the water sulcking to the shoare moste hastelye swinging. |
b. trans. To carry or drive forcibly. Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 13299 Full swift to the swalgh me swinget the flode. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 33 With steeds he is swinged, downe picht in his hudge wagon emptye. |
4. trans. † To draw out (a sword) with a vigorous movement (obs.); to flourish, brandish, wave about; in later use with mixture of sense 7 or 12: to wield (a weapon or implement), or move (a body held or grasped) with an oscillating or rotatory movement; also (Austral. slang.), to swing Kelly (or swing Douglas), to wield an axe, to do axework.
| a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 806 Alexander..Swythe swyngis out his swerde. c 1400 Destr. Troy 7275 He..swynget out a sword, swappit at þat other. Ibid. 10390 Þen he swange out a sword swicly with þat. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. vii. 161 He..thame stoutly assalit,..And euer his schynand swerd about him swang. 1581 A. Gilby Test. 12 Patriarchs 27 b, I tooke hym by the Hornes, and swinged hym aboute, and finally killed hym. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. i. 118 The fiery Tibalt, with his sword prepar'd, Which..He swong about his head. c 1611 Chapman Iliad iii. 393 An emptie helme, That then he swong about his head, and cast among his friends. 1626 Bacon Sylva §310 Take Bottles, and Swing them. 1646 Crashaw Sospetto d'Herode xl, Swinging a huge scythe, stands impartial Death. 1666 Dryden Ann. Mirab. xcvii, If some one approach to dare his Force, He swings his Tail. 1671 Milton Samson 1240 Go baffl'd coward, lest I..swing thee in the Air. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Sallet, Lettice, Cresses, Radish, &c. must..be..swing'd and shaken gently. 1815 Scott Guy M. xx, He..swung his arms like the sails of a wind-mill. 1860 Tennyson Sea Dreams 24 For sideways up he swung his arms. 1873 B. Harte Fiddletown, etc. 107 Each swung a lasso. 1909 Stacpoole Pools of Silence xxx, Adams had swung the man aloft and dashed him against the wall. 1945 Baker Austral. Lang. i v. 78 Kelly and douglas, an axe (from the names of makers), with their derivatives to swing kelly or douglas, to do axework. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 98 The scholars..could have passed with honours in such subjects as milking, swinging Douglas, panning off. |
† 5. To whirl (a wheel) round. Obs.
| a 1225 Juliana 58 [He] dude..fore of his cnihtes forte turnen þat hweol..ant het swingen hit swiftliche abuten ant tidliche turnen. |
6. intr. To move freely backwards and forwards, as a body suspended from a support above; to oscillate below a point of support, as a pendulum or the like. For spec. use in Hindu asceticism, see (b).
Occas. the intr. sense corresp. to 7 d.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 47 Moche lyke the pastyme that boyes vse in the churche when their master is awaye, to swinge and totter in a belrope. 1660 Boyle New Exp. Phys. Mech. xxvi. 202 We thought it not amiss to try if a Pendulum would swing faster, or continue swinging longer in our Receiver. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 96 ¶5 His Arms naturally swang at an unreasonable Distance from his Sides. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 107 A bottle swinging at each side. 1816 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 133 A great beam, suspended on gudgeons at the middle, and swinging like the beam of a balance. 1839 F. A. Kemble Resid. Georgia (1863) 19 The mocking birds are swinging and singing even now. 1842 Tennyson Sir Galahad iii, The shrill bell rings, the censer swings. 1844 A. B. Welby Poems (1867) 44 Her cottage bonnet filled with flowers, Hung swinging from her arm. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 19 Sir Aylmer Aylmer,..Whose blazing wyvern weathercock'd the spire,..And swang besides on many a windy sign. a 1900 Kipling A Dedication vi, One stone the more swings to her place In that dread Temple of Thy worth. 1912 H. Belloc Four Men 25 His arms dangled rather than swang. |
| (b) 1773 E. Ives Voy. to India i. ii. 27 On the 9th of April, annually, at Bengal the natives undergo a very uncommon kind of penance:..In a large plain about a mile from Calcutta, there are erected about thirty Bamboos, at least twenty feet high; on the top of these they contrive to fix a swivel, and another bamboo of thirty feet or more crosses it, at both ends of which hangs a rope. One end of this rope, the people pull down, and the devotee placing himself under it, the Brahmin pinches up a large piece of skin under both the shoulder blades,..and thrusts a strong iron-hook through each... When this is done, the people haul down the other end of the bamboo, by which means the devotee is immediately lifted up..from the ground, and then run round as fast as their legs will carry them. This throws the devotee out to the full length of the rope, where as he swings, he plays a thousand antic tricks. 1793 Medical Spectator II. No. 39. 246 All the information that I could get from our Banyan relative to this strange custom was, that they swing for a good conscience. |
b. Of a person: To move backwards and forwards through the air upon a suspended rope or a swing (swing n.2 11), as a sport; to ride in a swing.
| [1545: see 6.] 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 93 They have also ropes to swing in. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 130, I saw ropes or cords stretched from tree to tree in several gardens, Boys and Girls..swinging upon them. 1714 Gay Sheph. Week Monday 104 On two near elms the slacken'd cord I hung, Now high, now low my Blouzelinda swung. |
c. Of a (suspended) bell: To give forth a sound by swinging; to sound, ring out.
| 1632 Milton Penseroso 76 Oft..I hear the far-off Curfeu sound, Over som wide-water'd shoar, Swinging slow with sullen roar. 1812 Colman Br. Grins, Lady of Wreck ii. xii, A sound swung down the glen..From Bunamargy Friary bell. 1874 Green Short Hist. ii. §6. 90 The burgesses gathered in town-mote when the bell swung out from St. Paul's. |
d. fig. To waver, vacillate; to change from one condition or position to the opposite (esp. in fig. phrases with pendulum as subj.: see pendulum n. 2).
| 1833 Chalmers Power of God II. x. 106 We swing as it were between two assumptions. 1836 [see pendulum n. 2]. 1877 R. Giffen Stock Exch. Securities 152 He should endeavour..not to invest when the pendulum has swung upwards. 1890 Retrospect Med. CII. 378, I am by no means sure that the pendulum may not have swung too far in the opposite direction. |
e. trans. To mark or indicate by swinging; to swing seconds, to oscillate once in every second.
| 1736 Derham in Phil. Trans. XXXIX. 202 The next Experiments I shall mention, I made..by the Help of a good Month-Piece that swings Seconds. 1764 Maskelyne ibid. LIV. 373 A little clock..having a pendulum swinging seconds. |
7. trans. To cause to oscillate, as a body suspended from a support above; to move or sway (something) to and fro in this or a similar manner.
Phr. to swing a cat (i.e. holding it by the tail); in no room to swing a cat in and similar expressions, said of a confined or narrow space. to swing the lead: see lead n.1 6 b.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 295 They hange out the dead body by a chaine ouer the walle, and after they had swynged it a whyle to and fro, they let it fall into the ditche. 1665 Medela Pestil. 57 They had not space enough (according to the vulgar saying) to swing a Cat in. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 5 When they walk, they swing their Corps like a Pendulum. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. 8 June, I am pent up in frowzy lodgings, where there is not room enough to swing a cat. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. xx. (1842) 543 The flasks should be well rinsed, and..swung in the hand to shake out adhering drops. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. xvi, The colonel..took his seat upon the table, and swung his legs. 1849 Clough Poems, Natura Naturans viii, Big bees their burly bodies swung. 1850 Dickens Dav. Copp. xxxv, Mrs. Crupp had indignantly assured him that there wasn't room to swing a cat there; but, as Mr. Dick just observed to me,..‘You know, Trotwood, I don't want to swing a cat. I never do swing a cat.’ 1906 Raven Bells 41 Arrangements for hanging bells in turrets and swinging them. |
b. To cause (a person) to oscillate as in a swing; to give (one) a ride in a swing.
| 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 56 By two ioyning ropes that are fastned aboue, they will swing themselues as high as the transome. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 492 ¶3 They get on Ropes, as you must have seen the Children, and are swung by their Men Visitants. 1783 Justamond tr. Raynal's Hist. Indies V. 40 Their slaves had no other employment but to swing them in their hammocks. 1838 Lytton Alice iii. vii, Come to-morrow, and swing Sophy—no nice swinging since you've been gone. |
c. Of a bell: To send forth a peal of sound.
| 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxi, The hour of twelve o'clock swung its summons over the city from the belfry. 1852 Rock Ch. of Fathers III. i. ix. 294 The bells in every church steeple swung forth their peals of gladsomeness. |
d. To lift and transport (something suspended), as with a crane; transf. to convey or transport from point to point.
| 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Stonehenge Wks. (Bohn) II. 126 Men..swinging a block of granite..with an ordinary derrick. 1862 H. Kingsley Ravenshoe li, Who could tire,..at the strange dim vista of swinging horses between decks? 18.. Jrnl. Mil. Service Inst. U.S. X. 588 (Cent. Dict.) By means of the railroad, troops can be swung across from bay to bay as the exigencies of the war may require. |
e. refl. To hoist oneself up or transport oneself from point to point by grasping a support above. Also intr.
| 1899 Crockett Black Douglas i, The young man..swung lightly off his charger. Ibid. ii, The Douglas swung himself into the saddle. 1902 V. Jacob Sheep-Stealers xi, Putting his foot on the axle and swinging himself up. 1907 J. H. Patterson Man-Eaters of Tsavo xii. 133 All kinds of monkeys chatter..overhead as they swing themselves from branch to branch. |
8. intr. To be suspended from a support above (without necessarily implying oscillation). a. spec. To be hanged; to suffer death by hanging. slang or colloq.
| 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 122 Diogenes..had a great zele..to see theim euery one swyngyng & tottreyng in halters. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse (ed. 2) 10 What pennance can be greater for Pride, than to let it swinge in hys owne halter? 1725 New Cant. Dict., To Swing, to hang. 1728 [De Foe] Street-Robberies 8 They all lovingly swung together at Execution-Dock. 1841 Dickens Barn. Rudge lxii, It is..a choice between his life and death. If you refuse, he swings. 1884 ‘Edna Lyall’ We Two xl, I don't wish any man to swing for me—I have always disapproved of the death-penalty. |
b. gen. To be suspended, to hang; transf., to appear as if suspended (= hang v. 12). Also fig., (swing from, to depend or ‘hinge’ on).
| 1641 Tatham Distracted State v. i, Agath. And now you see the Pinacle from which You must be tumbled down, away with him... Fellow. If you please to walk that way you may see Oleander swinging for his life. 1781 Cowper Charity 615 His Budget, often filled, yet always poor, Might swing at ease behind his study door. 1829 Scott Anne of G. xxiii, ‘Yonder swings the Flying Stag’, said Ital, pointing to an immense sign. 1859 Tennyson Marr. Geraint 170 A purple scarf at either end whereof There swung an apple of the purest gold. 1867 A. J. Wilson Vashti xix, In the west, where a waning moon swung on the edge of the distant misty hills. 1888 G. A. Smith Isaiah xiii. (1891) 229 As this one [word] is obscure in its English guise, and the passage really swings from it, we may devote a paragraph to its meaning. 1898 Rider Haggard Dr. Therne i. 14 A lantern swung from the roof of the coach. |
9. trans. To hang, suspend; rarely, to hang (a person), put to death by hanging (slang or colloq.).
| 1528 More Dyaloge iii. xi. (1529) 82 b, In the tother [wallet] he layeth vp all hys owne and swyngeth yt at hys backe. 1811 Regul. & Orders Army 249 The Men's Hammocks must be swung regularly by Companies. 1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master vii. 202 Had he the pow'r he'd change the case, And swing some col'nels in their place. 1848 Lytton K. Arthur i. xliii, A slender draw-bridge, swung from brink to brink. 1860 All Year Round No. 73. 550 The heavy vehicle so ill swung,..as springless as an artillery tumbril. 1911 Beerbohm Zuleika Dobson v. 61 You would be driven to Court in my state-coach. It is swung so high that the streetsters can hardly see its occupant. |
b. To strain (the back of a horse): = sway v. 5 b.
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1258 If she [sc. a mare]..has met with an accident, such as having swung her back. |
10. intr. To oscillate (without suspension); to move to and fro, or from side to side; to sway; to hover; spec. to sway the body backward and forward in rowing.
| 1607 Chapman Bussy d'Ambois v. I j, Not so the surges of the euxine Sea..Swell being enrag'd,..As Fortune swings about the restlesse state Of vertue. 1712 Arbuthnot John Bull ii. iv. 17 If the Coach swung but the least to one side, she used to shriek so loud, that all the Street concluded she was overturn'd. 1828 Wordsw. Power of Sound x, While Fauns and Satyrs beat the ground In cadence,—and Silenus swang This way and that, with wild-flowers crowned. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xv. 101 A single hawk swung in the atmosphere above us. 1879 Oxf. & Camb. Undergrad. Jrnl. 13 Mar. 292/2 Prest is getting more and more used to the bow side, but he still swings short and stiffly. |
11. To turn in alternate directions, or in either direction (usually horizontally), around a fixed axis or point of support; spec. Naut. said of a vessel riding at a single anchor or moored by the head, and turning with the wind or tide. Also with to, open, wide, etc.
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), To Swing, to turn round the anchors, or moorings, at the change of the wind, or tide. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms iii. 929 While safely she at anchor swings. 1819 Shelley Cenci iv. ii. 41 It is the iron gate, Which ye left open, swinging to the wind. 1860 A. Cumming in Merc. Marine Mag. VII. 102 Let them..swing to one anchor. 1863 Reade Hard Cash xx, But in the middle of the joyous whirl, Julia's quick ear on the watch all the time, heard the gate swing to. 1892 Greener Breech Loader 215 The shot will.. fly in that direction in which the gun was swinging when the charge of shot left the muzzle. 1892 Gunter Miss Dividends (1893) 33 He swings around suddenly and quickly to see who interrupts him. |
b. To go along or round in a curve or with a sweeping motion; to wheel, sweep.
| 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. xx, So forth the startled swan would swing. 1853 Kingsley Hypatia xxii, A choir of nymphs swung round him hand in hand. 1856 Miss Warner Hills Shatemuc xxxv, With wind and headway the sloop gently swang up to her appointed place. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xv, In marched Hereward and all his men, and swung round through the gateway into the court. 1914 Times 8 Sept. 9/1 The battle line proceeds due east to Sézanne and Vitry-le-Fran{cced}ois, and then swings north-east round the plain of Châlons to the fortress of Verdun. |
c. to swing around the circle, to make a political tour of a constituency or larger area. U.S.
| 1866 E. McPherson Polit. Man. v. 58 We swing around the circle of the Union with a fixed and unalterable determination to stand by it. 1871 G. W. Peck Adventures Terence McGrant iv. 27 Until me Cousin Ulissis gets through swinging around the circle. 1887 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct., President Andrew Johnson originated the phrase ‘swinging round the circle’ on the occasion of his famous tour to Chicago..in September, 1866. 1910 N.Y. Evening Post 29 Oct. 2 To stem the rising tide against him, Col. Roosevelt is to swing around the circle in Brooklyn to-night. |
d. Cricket. Of a bowler: to impart swing to the ball on delivery. Also with the ball as subj. Cf. swing n.2 8 g.
| 1900 P. F. Warner Cricket in Many Climes 84 Morton..has a beautiful natural action, and swings in the air with his arm. Ibid. 179 Rowe..has, too, a very good fast ‘yorker’ which swings in the air. 1952 M.C.C. Cricket Coaching Bk. ii. 37 The farther up the ball is pitched, the more ‘room’ it has in which to swing. 1977 World of Cricket Monthly June 30/1 Bowling medium-pace, he got the ball to swing in the heavy atmosphere. |
e. Of a spacecraft: to pass by a planet using its gravitational field to change course.
| 1967 [implied in swing-by s.v. swing- 2 a]. 1970 Nature 1 Aug. 434/2 The spacecraft will be launched in the autumn of 1973, swinging by Venus at a distance of 3,000 miles. 1976 Sci. Amer. May 116/2 These two spacecraft are scheduled to be launched in 1977 and to swing by Jupiter in 1979. |
12. trans. To cause to turn in alternate directions, or in either direction, on or as on an axis or pivot; to turn or cause to face in another direction.
| 1768 Tucker Lt. Nat. I. xxii. 114 The boy who wished to be a king that he might have an officer appointed to swing him all day long upon a gate. 1783 Cowper Epit. Hare 24 To skip and gambol like a hare And swing his rump around. 1784 ― Ep. Jos. Hill 21 Swinging the parlour-door upon its hinge. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. x, Ae leaf of the muckle gate has been swung to wi' yestreen's wind. 1883 Harper's Mag. Jan. 284/1 What maddening whirls when he called, ‘Swing partners!’ 1887 Field 19 Feb. 223/2 A good practical exponent of ‘the art of shooting flying’ states..that he never met with a first-rate shot who ‘swings’ his gun—i.e. keeps it moving in the direction of the bird's flight. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right vi. I. 139 The base line is altered or ‘swung’, i.e. freshly marked on another imaginary course. 1892 E. Gosse Secr. Narcisse iii. 80 As he was about to turn towards the window, Rosalie swang herself violently back. |
b. Naut. To turn (a ship) to all points in succession, in order to ascertain the deviation of her magnetic compass.
| 1859 in Merc. Marine Mag. (1860) VII. 49 The necessity of having all iron steamships..swung, in order to ascertain the deviation of their compasses. 1877 Spry Cruise H.M.S. Challenger x. (1878) 176 Some hours were spent swinging for magnetical purposes. |
c. To drive or cause to move in a curve; also, to make or execute by moving in a curve (in phr. to swing a cast, in hunting: see cast n. 41).
| 1819 J. G. Lockhart Peter's Letters (ed. 2) III. lxix. 203 The balls..being swung to and fro in a terrific manner, by means of long queues with elastic shafts. 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. li, The hounds dash towards the fence beyond, and swing their cast without a whimper. 1889 Gunter That Frenchman v. 46 He swings his team into the Avenue de l'Impératrice. 1897 Outing (U.S.) XXX. 127/1 The dogs have changed direction by the left flank... We swing them, make a short cut through a bit of brush. |
d. In fig. phr. to swing it on or across (someone) = to put it across s.v. put v.1 36 a (b).
| 1923 Daily Mail 16 June 11 Too experienced to let even a thundering smart girl swing it on him as easily as that. 1943 N. Marsh Colour Scheme iv. 64 You saw Questing swing it across me. 1950 T. E. Lawrence Mint 39 ‘Swinging it on the..rookies, they are, the old sweats’ grumbled Tug. |
e. to swing the gate (see quot. 1933). Cf. drag v. 9 b and swing-gate s.v. swing- 2 a. Austral. and N.Z. slang.
| 1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 16 Dec. 21/8 Swing the gate, to be the fastest shearer in the shed. 1941 [see drag v. 9 b]. 1965 J. S. Gunn Terminol. Shearing Industry ii. 12 A ringer is..said to ‘swing the gate’, presumably because he keeps the catching-pen gate swinging. |
f. To turn a starting-handle in order to start (a motor vehicle, its engine). Also with over. colloq.
| 1927 R. Lehmann Dusty Answer iii. 164 It took ten minutes to get the car started, with Martin and Roddy madly swinging her by turns. a 1938 in T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 495 S[haw] was asked to swing the car for the old boy. 1957 L. F. R. Williams State of Israel iv. 42 Two men break off for a moment from swinging the engine of a tractor. 1977 Daily Tel. 12 Jan. 10/2 Attempting to ‘swing over’ modern high-compression engines would tax the strength of all but the most muscular. |
g. Cricket. Of a bowler: to bowl (the ball) with swing. Cf. swing n.2 8 g.
| 1948 [see seam bowler s.v. seam n.1 10]. |
13. intr. To go along with undulating or swaying movement, or in a vigorous manner; to walk with swinging step. (See also swinging ppl. a. 3.)
| 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. lxii, Pulling up at the door of the Turtle Doves Hotel, he threw himself carelessly off the half cover-hack..and..swung into the hall with a noisy flourish. 1884 W. Black in Harper's Mag. Dec. 30/2 The coach swings along pleasantly. 1894 J. A. Steuart In Day of Battle xviii, The camels, swinging at a steady trot. |
14. trans. fig. To direct or control the movement or action of; to sway; to wield. U.S.
| 1889 Voice (N.Y.) 2 May, The rum wing purposes swinging the party. The temperance innocents will have to submit or step out. 1890 ‘Mark Twain’ in Pall Mall G. 10 Sept. 3/2 His great charm to me is the way he swings nervous English! 1908 U. Sinclair Money-Changers ii. 35 He can swing the market so as to break a man. |
b. To bring (something uncertain) about; to contrive or manage; to ‘wangle’. Freq. with it. colloq.
| 1934 E. Pound Let. 7 Jan. (1971) 250 A guy named Collis... Wants me to edit a mag again. I have replied that..I wd. edit an annual... If he swings it, I shd. want to see a batch of yr. mss. in say about 6 months' time. 1937 Wodehouse Summer Moonshine (1938) i. 14 ‘The idea is to get him to trim the thing a little.’ ‘How do you expect to swing that?’ 1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? vi. 104 And Julian actually has a real job?.. How the hell did you swing it? 1955 ‘J. Christopher’ Year of Comet ii. 77 I'm not promising anything, but there's a chance I may be able to swing something useful there. 1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed x. 71 Phil had gotten himself a white nest-egg. Now how..could a half-broke addict-musician have swung that? 1975 M. Bradbury History Man viii. 138 You can't con me, but you might swing it with someone else. |
15. a. To fix (the work) on the centre or centres in a lathe. b. Of a lathe: To have a ‘swing’ or capacity of (so much): see swing n.2 8 d.
| 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 201 The work is ‘swung’ or arranged so as to yield an unequal pressure in polishing. 1888 Hasluck Model Engin. Handybk. (1900) 22 Three inch centres—that is, a lathe which swings six inches. |
16. a. Mus. intr. To play jazz music with swing (see swing n.2 10 b). Also, to swing it.
| [1918 (music-title) Swinging along. 1928 (music-title) Swing on the gait.] 1931 (music-title) Swing it. 1933 [see get v. 70 l]. 1934 Esquire Feb. 96/2 This still leaves a comfortable margin of popular acclaim for the boys who couldn't read it, but who, in the parlance of hot, knew how to swing it. 1935 Swing Music Nov.–Dec. 248/2 In the Duke's band the brass section may swing while the rhythm-section and reed-section provide a harmonic..background. 1937 L. Armstrong Swing that Music xiii. 114 A lot of Americans in Paris came to hear me swing. 1955 in Shapiro & Hentoff Hear Me Talkin' to Ya xviii. 289 Don't let Benny scare you, you're a piano player, Johnny—and you swing. 1966 T. Pynchon Crying of Lot 49 iii. 48 The early crowd tends to dig your Radio Cologne sound. Later on we really swing. 1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' till you hear from Me viii. 125 He sometimes plays pure ‘Palm Court’.., and without that extra lift which can make a band swing. |
b. Mus. trans. To play (a tune) with swing.
| 1936 (music-title) Swingin' them Jingle Bells. 1938 Times Herald (Dallas) 1 Apr. iii. 11 The Detroit station pull[ed] ..Tommy off the air for ‘swinging’ Loch Lomond. 1947 Penguin Music Mag. II May 28 His instructions in the introduction to the score are that these are to be slightly ‘swung’, and he admits the influence upon his music of all Negro spirituals. 1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) 600/2 A score can at most be more or less susceptible to being ‘swung’. One band may swing an arrangement while another may play the same arrangement without a touch of swing. 1968 Blues Unlimited Nov. 23 The waltz, swung so gently and delicately by the cajuns, is in constant demand. |
c. intr. To enjoy oneself, have fun, esp. in pursuit of what is considered fashionable or in a manner free of conventional constraints; to be up to date. Also of a place, to provide lively enjoyment.
| 1957 N. Mailer in Dissent Summer 288 Still I am just one cat in a world of cool cats, and everything interesting is crazy, or at least so the Squares who do not know how to swing would say. 1966 Reporter 24 Mar. 22/1 Surprising nightlife. Amsterdam swings. 1967 Wall St. Jrnl. 24 Jan. 30 He has to really swing: Motor-cycle racing, free-fall parachuting, [etc.]. 1975 D. Lodge Changing Places ii. 59 Jane Austen and the Theory of Fiction. Professor Morris J. Zapp... ‘He makes Austen swing,’ was one comment. 1983 Times 25 Oct. 10/1 The fashion collections..are supposed to have proved..that ‘London swings again’. |
d. To engage in (promiscuous) sexual intercourse; spec. to advocate or engage in group sex or swapping sexual partners. Also, to swing both ways, to enjoy both heterosexual and homosexual relations. slang.
| 1964 W. & J. Breedlove Swap Clubs iii. 73 Almost everyone in the group knows one or more couples with which they swing who were not accepted by the recruitment committee. 1970 E. M. Brecher Sex Researchers ix. 251 If only one-tenth of one percent of married couples (one couple in a thousand) swing, however, the total still adds up to some 45,000 swinging American couples. 1972 J. G. Vermandel Last seen in Samarra xxii. 153 As for the mystery that still surrounded Robin Aseltine's death, the police had picked up and questioned several former girl and boy friends, Robin having been found to swing both ways. |
e. Of a party: to go with a swing (see swing n.2 6 f). colloq.
| [1963 Amer. Speech XXXVIII. 171 [Kansas University slang.] A particularly rough and noisy party..swinger.] 1975 D. Lodge Changing Places ii. 87 The party's beginning to swing. 1978 J. Anderson Angel of Death xii. 128 They were trying hard to make the party swing, but..there seemed a forced air about the revelry. |
Add: [4.] b. To throw (a punch), esp. in phr. to swing a right (or left). Also absol., to strike or flail at with the fist. Also fig.
| 1894 A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets 138 It was a hard fight, and both the lads were swinging the right again and again for a knock-out. 1920 Collier's Mag. 3 July 34/4 The other guy prob'ly didn't hear me because on the instant he swung a roundhouse left, square on the Kid's unprotected face. 1924 Wodehouse Bill the Conqueror viii. 147 She..swung her right and plugged Slingsby a perfect beauty in the eye. 1946 Sun (Baltimore) 14 Dec. 2/6 Mr. Collins leaped to his feet and swung a round-house right at the witness. 1974 P. Cave Dirtiest Picture Postcard xiii. 85 She swung at her empty glass, sending it flying across the smooth bar-top to smash against a row of optics. 1976 Publishers Weekly 5 Jan. 63/3 In this stimulating and controversial history of that period, Lukacs comes out swinging at a lot of cherished myths. |
▪ IV. † swing, v.2 Obs.
Pa. tense 3 swang, 4 swange, swong.
[OE. swingan, corresp. in form and meaning to swing n.1, and so ultimately identical with swing v.1]
intr. To labour, toil; = swink v. 1.
| c 1000 ælfric Exod. xviii. 14 Hwæt dest þu on þis folce? hwi swingst þu ana? c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Spelman) cxxvi[i]. 1 Buton drihten timbriende hus on ydel swingað ða ðe timbriað hi. c 1275 Lay. 7488 He swang [c 1205 swonc] in þan fihte, þat he leþerede a swote. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 586 Þat swange & swat for long ȝore. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 3589 Herhaud þat day so sore swong, Þat þurch his mouþe þe fom it sprong. c 1480 Henryson Mor. Fab., Wolf & Lamb xx, His seruand nor his self may not be spaird To swing and sweit, withouttin Meit or wage. |
▪ V. † swing, adv. Obs. rare—1.
In 5 swingge.
[Stem of swing v.1]
With a sudden blow or impact; ‘slap’.
| c 1400 St. Alexius (Laud 108) 443 As man þat hadde deþes wounde He fel swingge doun to grounde. |