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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SWING, v., n. Also sweng; sweeng; sweing. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. swing. For sweeng cf. keeng, King, weeng, Wing. [swɪŋ; Abd. + swiŋ]

I. v. A. Forms. Pr.t. swing; sweeng (Abd. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 14; Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) 98; Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick xxiv.); pa.t. swung; swang (Sc. 1719 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) II. 232; Bnff. 1847 A. Cumming Tales of the North 97; Lnk. 1877 W. McHutchison Poems 107; Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) 107; Sh. 1901 T. Ollason Mareel 78; ne.Sc. 1954 Mearns Leader (20 Aug.) 6; Sh., Abd. 1972).Sc. 1995 David Purves Hert's Bluid 59:
An up abuin sweings aw the outlin sterns,
ferr brichter nor A've ever seen afore,
sprekkilt frae here until Infinitie,
skinklin thair lane throu aw Eternitie.

B. Usages. 1. Phrs.: (1) sweengin lum, a wooden chimney or smoke vent suspended over the fire in the old type of rural cottage (‡Ork. 1972). See Hing, v., 9. (12); (2) to swing the crook, to make the pot-hook swing to and fro after the pot has been removed from the fire, thought to be done by supernatural agency, and to portend misfortune. If done inadvertently by a human being, it was considered to be an invitation to spirits to haunt the house; (3) to swing the tattie, to be in a position of authority, to lay down the law, to boss the show (Dmf. 1972). See Tattie, 1. (70).(1) Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick xxviii.:
A huge pot of porridge was suspended over the open fire beneath the “sweengin lum”.(2) s.Sc. a.1830 Hist. Bwk. Nat. Club (1916) 62:
The spectre Wag-at-the-wa' . . . his great delight was in swinging the crook. . . . This swinging of the crook was an admonition to the family, that one of them was going to die, or to be sick.s.Sc. 1866 W. Henderson Folk-Lore 220:
He has seen a visitor rise up and leave the house, because one of the boys of the family idly swung the crook: she was so horrified at this “invokerie” that she declared “she wad na abide in the house where it was practised”.(3) Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 154:
But ootby — weel, I've aye been able to swing the tattie. There's only ae tattie-swinger at Glenheid, an' that's me.

2. Combs.: (1) swing-back, a lameness or deformity in the back as a disease of lambs; (2) swing-bat, a swingle or flat wooden stick for beating and scutching flax; (3) swing-knife, id.; (4) swing-lind, -lint, see Swingle, 1.; (5) swing-stock, a wooden block on which flax is laid to be scutched; (6) swing-swang, an extension of a fence across a stream by suspending two or more poles horizontally on a wire from one bank to the other (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Cf. Eng. swing-swang, n., adj., swinging, oscillating; (7) swing-tail, a kind of children's game in which the players form a long snake or crocodile by hanging on to the clothes of the player in front and following the zig-zag movements of the leader; (8) swing-tree, (i) a swingle tree of a plough, etc. (Ork., Bnff. 1972). Rare and obs. in Eng.; (ii) a contrivance of levers attached to a churn-staff so that two churns can be churned simultaneously by one person; (9) swingin tree, a flail. Cf. flingin-tree s.v. Fling, III. 3.(1) s.Sc. 1882 Trans. Highl. Soc. 169:
A peculiar disease which frequently affects lambs is that called in the country “Swing-back” . . . causing the lamb when walking, to bend its back from side to side.(2) Rxb. 1825 Jam. s.v. cogster:
The person who, in the act of swingling flax, first breaks it with a swing-bat.(3) Sc. 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 486:
While the left hand holds the flax fast above, the right carries the swing-knife, a sabre-shaped piece of wood from 1½ to 2 feet long, planed to an edge on the convex side, and provided with a handle. With this knife the flax is struck parallel to the board, with perpendicular blows, so as to scrape off its woody asperities.(5) Sc. 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 486:
The swing-stock consists of an upright board with a groove in its side, into which a handful of flax is so placed that it hangs down over half the surface of board.(7) Slk. 1874 Border Treasury (12 Dec.) 246:
D'ye mind what games at krinky, the hand an' fit ba', . . . Spy, races, swingtail, an' noble wide-a-way?(8) (i) Sc. 1812 J. Sinclair Systems Husb. Scot. II. App. 46:
The swing-trees, to which the horses are attached when ploughing.Sc. 1843–5 Trans. Highl. Soc. 407:
The swingtree, or draught-bar, is now to be seen of iron, as well as the plough, the harrow, and many other implements.(ii) Dmb. 1794 D. Ure Agric. Dmb. 72:
Two churns are churned, at the same time by one person. This is done by means of a swing-tree with two arms, to which are fixed the churn-staves.(9) Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 121:
Thae chiefs he did see, o' the swingin tree, In ane strange auld chaumer there.

3. To strain or pull the muscles of the back through over-exertion (of a horse). Cf. 2. (1) above, and n.Eng. dial. swung in the back, so affected.Sc. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1258:
If she [a mare] has met with an accident, such as having swung her back.

II. n. 1. A hawser for making fast a boat or, in herring-fishing, the line of nets to the stern of the boat or to a net-anchor (Sh., n.Sc., Ags., Fif. 1972), also swing-rope, id. Comb. swing-en, the last net shot to which the swing is attached (Mry. 1925).Crm. 1829 H. Miller Herring Fishing 24:
The tie of the last net is next brought forward and fixed to the swing-rope, a small haulser attached to the stern, and the boat rides to her drift as if at anchor.Bwk. 1839 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1885) 220:
The one immediately next the boat is fastened to it by a long and substantial ride rope, technically called the swing, which lets down this net to the level of the rest.Sc. 1846 T. D. Lauder Directions for Taking Herrings 6:
The swing or net rope should be about 120 yards long.Abd. 1891 R. Kirk N. Sea Shore xiii.:
The swing, or rope, by which the fleet of nets was attached to the stern.Sh. 1937 Toilers of the Deep (July) 132:
About twenty fathoms of bush rope separates the drifter from the first nets. We call this a “swing-rope.”

2. A Swey or pot-crane swinging over a fire (Mry. 1928).