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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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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).