Swing

Swing, swing, v.i. to sway or wave to and fro, as a body hanging in air: to move forward with swaying gait: to vibrate: to practise swinging: to turn round at anchor: to be hanged.—v.t. to move to and fro: to cause to wave or vibrate: to whirl, to brandish: to cause to wheel or turn as about some point: to fix up anything so as to hang freely:—pa.t. and pa.p. swung.—n. the act of swinging: motion to and fro: a waving motion: anything suspended for swinging in: the sweep or compass of a swinging body: the sweep of a golf-club when driving: influence or power of anything put in motion: free course, unrestrained liberty.—ns. Swing′-back, a device for adjusting the plate-holder of a camera at any desired angle; Swing′boat, a boat-shaped carriage swung from a frame, in use for swinging in at fairs, &c.; Swing′-bridge, a bridge that may be moved aside by swinging, at the mouth of docks, &c.; Swing′-churn, a churn-box so hung as to be worked by oscillation; Swing′er; Swing′-han′dle, a pivoted handle of any utensil, esp. a bail or other arched handle; Swing′ing, the act of moving back and forth, esp. the pastime of moving in a swing.—adj. having a free easy motion.—n. Swing′ing-boom, the spar which stretches the foot of a lower studding-sail.—adv. Swing′ingly, in a swinging-manner.—ns. Swing′ing-post, the post to which a gate is hung; Swing′ism, a form of intimidation common in England about 1830-33, which consisted mainly in sending letters signed 'Swing' or 'Captain Swing' to farmers, ordering them under threats to give up threshing-machines, &c.; Swing′-mō′tion, a mechanism in the truck of a railway carriage, &c., permitting swaying from side to side; Swing′-pan, a sugar-pan with spout, pivoted so that it may be emptied by tipping; Swing′-plough, a plough without a fore-wheel under the beam; Swing′-shelf, a hanging shelf; Swing′-stock, an upright timber, with a blunt edge at top over which flax was beaten by the swingle—also Swing′ing-block; Swing′-swang, a complete oscillation.—adj. swinging, drawling.—ns. Swing′-tā′ble, a moveable bed on which plate-glass is cemented for polishing; Swing′-tool, a holder swinging on horizontal centres, on which work is fastened so as to hold flat against the face of a file; Swing′-tree=Swingle-tree (q.v.); Swing′-trot, a swinging trot; Swing′-wheel, the wheel that drives a clock pendulum, corresponding to the balance-wheel in a watch. [A.S. swingan; Ger. schwingen, to swing; allied to wag, sway.]