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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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SWEY, v., n. Also swy(e), swei(gh); swe-, swee, swie; †sway(e), suay, sweay. [Sh., Cai., em.Sc. (a), s.Sc. swəi, ne.Sc. swɑe, m.Sc. swi:]

I. v. 1. intr. To swing to one side or the other, backwards and forwards, to sway, rock (Sc. 1825 Jam., swee; Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1914 Angus Gl., swy; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., swei). Gen.Sc.; to rock on a child's swing (Sc. 1808 Jam.); also fig. to fluctuate or swerve in one's aims or opinions, to vacillate, to change sides (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Fif. 1767 Session Papers, Hunter v. Robb (27 Jan.) 6:
Walter Thomson was like to swee from Mr Alexander's party.Slk. 1824 Hogg Shepherd's Cal. (1874) xii.:
Bairns that are brought up in the fear, nurture, and admonition o' their Maker, will aye swee to the right side.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch iii.:
Mewing about, with her tail sweeing behind her like a ramrod.Slg. 1841 R. M. Stupart Harp of Strila 62:
They cut the figure eight like jing, Then roun' and roun' gang sweein'.Bwk. 1863 A. Steel Poetical Works 113:
An independent mind for me — As swees the buss I spurn to swee.Lnk. 1883 W. Thomson Leddy May 27:
The auld white yett ahint him swees.m.Lth. 1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 20:
The gasoliery used to swee like a pendulum.Mry. 1932 E. Gilbert Spindrift 19:
Ower swyin' bracken an' curlin' fern.Ags. 1945 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 335:
I stood there sweyin' against the seat.Bnff. 1960 Banffshire Jnl. (23 Feb.):
Dauchlin' a file On the pailin' tae swye.Edb. 1965 J. K. Annand Sing it Aince 8:
Big it in an elm tree, Whar the wind'll gar it swee.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 40:
Syne up he sprauchles an' wauchles owre
tae the pub door an' sweys a moment
an' craiks: "Mind me noo," wi near a glowre
i the mochie een, m.Sc. 1996 John Murray Aspen 12:
Dour sail o day
swees on heivy heenges
as the souk on moorit barges Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 52:
Fin I luikit ower tae the toun, a great column o rikk raisse up, swyin frae side tae side.

2. tr. (1) To make to sway or swing, to wave about, to move (an object) to one side (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Sh., n.Sc. 1972); also fig. to sway (one's) purpose, influence or induce in a certain direction. To swee aff, to head or stave off, to cause to swerve, to deflect, lit. and fig.Abd. 1794 Sc. N. & Q. (Ser. 2) VI. 185:
Twas only force that ever swyed me to that notion.Slk. 1817 Hogg Tales (1874) 153:
I saw the gate as I was gawn, but I couldna swee him aff.Sc. 1818 S. Ferrier Marriage xxxii.:
Why didn't you hinder these boys from sweein' the gate off its hinges?Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck iii.:
Instead o' sweeping aff my downcome wi' his sword.Sc. 1907 D. MacAlister Echoes (1923) 123:
In his richt han' the nakit steel He sweys.

(2) Specif. to shift the position of a cooking pot on a fire by moving the swey or crane (see II. 5.).Slk. 1822 Hogg Perils of Man I. iv.:
Bairns, swee that bouking o' claes aff the fire.Rnf. 1873 D. Gilmour Pen' Folk 26:
Swee aff the kail pat.

(3) To press down, bend or beat to one side. Ppl.adj. swayed, leaning to one side, of a wall (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.).Sc. 1808 Jam.:
Growing corn, or grass, is said to be swayed, when wind-waved.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 116:
Hinnie sweyd down the whiteclaver.

(4) absol. To weigh, balance. Rare.Ayr. 1790 A. Tait Poems 8:
He gave them to Solomon clever to swee.

II. n. 1. (1) A swinging semi-circular motion (Sh., ne.Sc. 1972), a sudden move to one side, a swerve, lurch, a veering of wind (Sc. 1825 Jam.). Gen.Sc. Also fig. Phrs. on the swee, swaying, rocking or reeling under the influence of drink; in the swey-swaw, fig. in a state of hesitation or uncertainty (Lth. 1825 Jam.); swee-sway, used adj., id. (w. Lth. 1825 Jam.).Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 32:
An' sic is Britain's present state, A sweigh will coup her ony gate.Wgt. 1877 W. McIlwraith Guide 126:
The vessel gave a sudden “swee” to one side.Lnk. 1890 J. Coghill Poems 110:
Ilk ane reelin' an' clean on the swee.Cai. 1930 John o' Groat Jnl. (7 Feb.):
'E boatie took a swee in 'e middle o' 'e firth.Lth. 1930 J. Cockburn Country Love 116:
But before he had the time tae flee Came Geordie's left wi' siccan a swee.

(2) inclination or bias, a trend, tendency (Sc. 1825 Jam.). Obs. in Eng.Sc. 1730 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) 329:
A plain sway to the other side appearing in that committee.Slk. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales I. 253:
It's your mind that I'm sad for; they'll gie't a wrang swee.Slk. 1824 Hogg Confessions (1874) 515:
It is best just to let justice tak its swee.

2. A swing for children (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh., Cai., m.Sc. 1972); a swing-boat at a fair or the like, gen. in comb. swey-boat, swee- (Kcd., em.Sc. (a) (swey), m.Lth. (swee-) 1972).Fif. 1901 G. Setoun Skipper of Barncraig vii.:
I aye got sick in a sway-boat.wm.Sc. 1903 S. Macplowter Mrs McCraw 51:
The lambie laucht, an' said it wis better nor the sweys.s.Sc. 1904 W. G. Stevenson Glen Sloken iv.:
I was yince in yin o' they swee boats.Edb. 1958 J. W. Oliver Peevers 23:
What wi' graveyerds and playgrounds, wi' see-saws an' swees.

3. A lever, crowbar: (1) used in a quarry to raise stones (Ags. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1972, swy). Also in Eng. dial.; (2) as part of a churn (see quot.).(1) Bnff. 1721 J. Grant Bnff. Roads (1905) 10:
Four pretty large swayes and eight hand gavelocks.(2) m.Lth. 1793 G. Robertson Agric. M. Lth. 84:
A plunge churn with a swee (a lever applied to the end of the churn-staff).

†4. A derrick or crane for lifting heavy objects; a steelyard. Comb. swee-tree, the beam of a crane.Gsw. 1737 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1909) 475:
£1 13s. 2d. sterling for making a swee tree, wort trough and gantrees.Fif. 1765 E. Henderson Dunfermline (1879) 483:
To erect a Cran or Sway . . . for weighing Goods.Abd. 1796 Session Papers, Leslie v. Fraser (29 March 1805) 289:
The carts come under the sway and the barrel, and receive the lime into them upon the pier.e.Lth. 1810–3 Foord Acct. Bk. MS. 102, 122:
To 18 lb. of lead for running in the foot of the suay. To Setting up the Sweay and mending the Spowt.

5. A horizontal bar or arm of iron working on a vertical pivot fixed at the side of a fire, on which chains, pot-hooks and cooking vessels can be suspended, and which can be swung to and fro over the fire, a chimney crane (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., sway; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai). Gen.Sc.Rnf. 1761 W. M. Metcalfe Lordship Paisley (1912) 42:
Cutting out holes for putting in four sweys in the Dovecoat house.Ayr. 1765 Session Papers, Howetson v. Logan (23 July) 6:
He gave a birch-stick to the defender to make a swie for Burnhead kitchen.Ayr. 1823 Galt R. Gilhaize II. xxviii.:
There was still hanging, on the swee, a kail-pot.Rxb. 1868 D. Anderson Musings 28:
Come haste and mak' a clean hearth-stane, Gar shine the crook and swey.Slg. 1877 J. M. Neilson Poems 68:
She brocht the parritch-pat up frae The burn, half-filled wi' water, An' hung't tae simmer on the swee.Abd. 1882 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 215:
The little black lamp that hung on the shoulder of the ‘swye' from which the crook depended.Knr. 1890 H. Haliburton In Sc. Fields 130:
The pot was raised by means of the black crook-shell to a higher link of the kitchen “swey”, or crane.Bwk. 1897 R. M. Calder Poems 160:
A warm an' cheery ingle-side, An' the kettle on the swee.Dmf. 1913 A. Anderson Surfaceman's Later Poems 214:
Hing his stockin's owre the swey.Sc. 1933 E. S. Haldane Scotland of Our Fathers 46:
An open fire with a ‘sweigh' or hook and chain on which to hang the ‘girdle' or flat iron on which were baked the scones.Abd. 1960 Stat. Acc.³ 397:
Low fires with “sweys” and whitewashed hearths.wm.Sc. 1980 Anna Blair The Rowan on the Ridge 28:
... to find his mother and Annie Jack and send them to Burnside to set the water-pot on the swee for a poultice. wm.Sc. 1986 Robert McLellan in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 21:
Na, nearer nor that. No faur frae the door somewhaur. I ken! It's whaur Sandy MacMillan was tryin to strauchten a crookit swee. He brocht up some coal because he said it wad saften the airn better. Ags. 1990s:
Swey: n. pot-supporting bar over open fire.

Combs.: (1) swebar, = swey above (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.); (2) swee-chain, the chain hanging from the swey on which the pots are hooked (Cai., Ags. 1972); (3) swey-crook, the pot hook on the swey (Cai. 1972). See Cruik.(2) Arg. 1902 N. Munro Shoes of Fortune i.:
Had her griddle been higher on the swee-chain by a link or two.w.Sc. 1929 A. A. Macgregor Summer Days 338:
The “swee-chain” and its hook.(3) Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry 38:
As to the swey-crook Vulcan rides Curlin' in smeeky majestie.

6. A bracket for a street-lamp.Edb. 1720 D. Robertson Bailies of Leith (1915) 174:
The saids lamps swyes or posts upon which they are erected.Gsw. 1760 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1912) 21:
Lead for lamp sways, batts and others.

7. A wooden yoke or beam placed across the shoulders from which a pail can be hung at either hand to facilitate transport (Bnff., Abd. 1900).