SWAB • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Swab

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noun

Swab n.

A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.

A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.

(Naut.) An epaulet. (Sailor's Slang)

A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. (Obs.)

A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.

verb

Swab v. t. (past & past part. swabbed; pres. part. swabbing) (Spelt also swob) To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship.

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Etymology of 'Swab'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Swab" Quotes from Famous Books

... you swab," cried Mr. Hume; then, as the man took no notice, he ran to the wheel, thrust aside the steersman, and jammed the ...

— In Search of the Okapi - A Story of Adventure in Central Africa • Ernest Glanville

... Oh, if I had my scissors here till I'd clip your ears off—wouldn't I be the happy man, any how, you swab, ...

— The Ned M'Keown Stories - Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of - William Carleton, Volume Three • William Carleton

... to snails. But the sides may be scrubbed with a soft swab, made of cotton or wick-yarn. Deaths will occasionally take place; and even suicide is said to be resorted to by the ...

— Atlantic Monthly, Volume 8, No. 47, September, 1861 • Various

... you young cub down there," shouted the skipper to him from the hatchway, "come up and swab ...

— Eric • Frederic William Farrar

... me. I've often thought I'd like a talk with you, sir. But I'm keepin' you. [He prepares to swab ...

— Forsyte Saga • John Galsworthy

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