swallow whole
Believe something completely without questioning
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swamp angel
A mosquito.
swan song
A final performance or act before retirement or death
swan song
The song fabled to be sung by swans at the point of death (see above}; hence, the last work of a poet, composer, etc.
swank
To boast or "gas" unduly.
swankey
Cheap or small beer. Any weak fermented beverage.
swankpot
A show-off.
swannery
He keeps a swannery; i.e. all his geese are swans.
swap
To exchange. Grose says it is Irish cant, but the term is now included in most dictionaries as an allowed vulgarism.
swap horses in midstream
change plans or leaders during a difficult situation
swarry
A boiled leg of mutton and trimmings. Sam Weller’s adventure with the Bath footmen originated the term. See TRIMMINGS.
swatchel-cove
The master of a Punch-and-Judy exhibition who "fakes the slum," and does the necessary squeak for the amusement of the bystanders. See SCHWASSLE BOX. The orthography of many of these colloquial expressions differs. It was thought best to give the various renderings as collected.
swayze
gone; dead
swear by
to strongly believe in something's effectiveness or quality
swear off
to promise never to do something again
sweat
To extract money from a person, to "bleed." Also, to squander riches.—Bulwer.
sweat bricks
to be extremely anxious or nervous
sweat equity
Value added to something by one's own work or effort
sweat of one's brow
Earned through hard work and effort
sweater
Common term for a "cutting" or "grinding" employer,—one who SWEATS his workpeople. A cheap tailor, who pays starvation wages.
sweating
A mode of diminishing the gold coin, practiced chiefly by the Jews, who corrode it with aqua regia. Sweating was also a diversion practised by the bloods of the last century, who styled themselves Mohocks: these gentlemen lay in wait to surprise some person late in the night, when surrounding him, they with their swords pricked him in the posteriors, which obliged him to be constantly turning round; this they continued till they thought him sufficiently sweated.
sweating sickness
A form of malaria epidemic, which appeared in England about a century and a half after the Black Death (1485). It broke out amongst the soldiers of Rich- mond's army as a violent inflammatory fever, without boils or ulcers, after the battle of Bosworth, and lasted five weeks. Between 1485 and 1529 there were five outbreaks, the first four being confined to England and France, the fifth spreading over Germany, Turkey, and Austria.
swede
The head.
sweep
A contemptuous term for a low or shabby man.
sweep aside
To dismiss or ignore something as unimportant
sweep away
completely remove or destroy something
sweep out
remove or get rid of something unwanted
sweep someone off their feet
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
sweep something under the rug
To hide or ignore a problem
sweep the board
Win everything or almost everything in a competition
sweep the deck
To clear or remove everything from a surface
sweet
Easy to be imposed on, or taken in; also expert, dexterous clever. Sweet's your hand; said of one dexterous at stealing.
sweet
Loving or fond; "how SWEET he was upon the moll," i.e., what marked attention he paid the girl.
sweet and sour
Having both pleasant and unpleasant aspects
sweet dreams
Wishing someone pleasant dreams
sweet FA
Nothing.
sweet fuck all
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
sweet heart
A term applicable to either the masculine or feminine gender, signifying a girl's lover, or a man's mistress: derived from a sweet cake in the shape of a heart.
sweet hereafter
A pleasant or desirable situation that will occur in the future
sweet Jesus
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
sweet Mary
an expression of surprise or shock
sweet Mary mother of God
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
sweet nothings
flattering or romantic words with no real meaning
sweet smell of success
a pleasant feeling of achieving something
sweet stuff
something pleasant or desirable
sweet summer child
A naive or innocent person
sweet young thing
An attractive and charming young person
sweeten the pill
make an unpleasant situation more acceptable
sweeten the pot
Make an offer more attractive by adding an incentive
sweeten up
become or make something more pleasant
sweetener
A person who runs up the prices of articles at an auction. See JOLLYING, BONNET, &c.
sweetheart deal
A contract or agreement that is extremely favorable to one party
sweetness
Guinea droppers, cheats, sharpers. To sweeten to decoy, or draw in. To be sweet upon; to coax, wheedle, court, or allure. He seemed sweet upon that wench; he seemed to court that girl.
sweetness and light
refers to pleasant and delightful things
swell
Excellent.
swell
A gentleman. A well-dressed map. The flashman bounced the swell of all his blunt; the girl's bully frightened the gentleman out of all his money.
swell
A man of importance; a person with a showy, jaunty exterior, "a rank SWELL," a very flashily dressed person, a man who by excessive dress apes a higher position than he actually occupies. Any one occupying a superior position in society is by the mob called a SWELL. Anything is said to be SWELL or SWELLISH that looks showy, or is many coloured, or is of a desirable quality.
swell hung in chains
Said of a showy man in the habit of wearing much jewellery.
swell mob
The better-dressed thieves and pickpockets.
swell up
become or make something larger or more intense
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