Sway

Source : Wright, Joseph English Dialect Dictionary web : https://eddonline4-proj.uibk.ac.at/edd/main.html

SWAY, v.1, sb.1 and adj. Var. dial. uses in Sc. and Eng. Also written sweigh Sc. Nhb.1 Dur.1 Wm. n.Yks. w.Yks.4 ne.Lan.1 s.Lan.1 Chs.1 nw.Der.1 n.Lin.1; swey Sc. (Jam.) Nhb.1 Lakel.1 Lakel.2 Cum.1 Wm. e.Yks.1 w.Yks.1 w.Yks.5 s.Lan.1 s.Chs.1 Shr.2; and in forms swee Sc. (Jam.) Nhb.1 Chs.1 Chs.3; swy Sh.&Ork.1; swye Sc. [swei, swē, sweə; swī.]

1. v. In comp. (1) Sway-bed, (a) a loose, wet bog upon which the cranberry grows; (b) a block of ice about a yard square cut from the surface of a pond and left floating; (2) Sway-boat, (a) a swing-boat; (b) see (1, b); (3) Sway-chain, a swinging chain; (4) Sway-cleek, a bar from which to hang pots over the fire; (5) Sway-cord, a weaving term: the cord used to connect the ‘healds’ on the underside with the ‘lambs’; (6) Sway-crook, obs., see (4); (7) Sway-gay, a swing; (8) Sway-knife, a knife with a long handle; see below; (9) Sway-pole, (a) see (4); (b) a long pole swinging on its centre, used to raise water from a well, coals from a pit, &c.; (c) a see-saw; (10) Sway-swaw or Sway-sway, a state of suspense or indecision; (11) Sway-tree, a swingle-tree. (1, a) Chs.1 (b) Chs.1 It is a common amusement for boys to cut a number of these swee-beds, and then dare each other to run along the floating pieces. (2, a) Fif. I aye got sick in a sway-boat, Setoun Skipper of Barncraig (1901) 82. s.Lan.1, s.Chs.1, Nhp.1 (b) s.Chs.1 (3) Arg. Had her griddle, say, been higher on the swee-chain by a link or two, Munro Shoes of Fort. (1901) 10. (4) Nhb. And shouthers thrawn like a swee cleek, Strang Earth Fiend (1892) pt. i. st. 14. (5) w.Yks. (D.L.) (6) Fif. The ragin lowes gae up its [a pot's] sides, Garrin' plish-plash the internal tides, As to the swey-crook Vulcan rides, Tennant Papistry (1827) 38. (7) Nhp.1 (8) w.Yks.2 The handle being used as a lever, and the end of the knife fixed upon a pivot. (9, a) Chs. I'm up the chimbley; I'm on the swee-pow! Sheaf (1879) I. 322; Chs.1, Shr.1 Hrf. An 'ang th' pot on the sway pole in the chimbley (Coll. L.L.B.). (b) Chs. (K.), Nhp.1, Suf.1 (c) w.Yks.5 (10) Lth. (Jam.) (11) Nhp.1
2. To swing. Sc. Why didn't you hinder these boys from sweein the gate off its hinges? Ferrier Marriage (1818) I. xxxiv. Sh.&Ork.1 Lnk. The aud white yett ahint him swees, Thomson Leddy May (1883) ii. Edb. The cat,.. with her tail sweeing behind her like a ramrod, Moir Mansie Wauch (1828) iii. Lakel.1, Cum.1, s.Wm. (J.A.B.), Lan. (S.W.), s.Lan.1, Chs.1 s.Chs.1 Come an' swey me. nw.Der.1, War. (J.R.W.)
3. To play at see-saw. Nhb.1, Lakel.2 ne.Yks. Marshall Rur. Econ. (1796) II. 358. w.Yks. Hutton Tour to Caves (1781).
4. To lever; to move up and down by mechanical means. Yks. (C.C.R.), w.Yks.5 5. To weigh or press down; to lean heavily upon; also used fig. Gall. Hinnie swey'd down the whiteclaver, Mactaggart Encycl. (1824) 116, ed. 1876. Dur.1 n.Yks. Deean't sweigh on that teeable leeaf (I.W.). e.Yks.1 Swey shafts doon. w.Yks. A man at's sweyd dahn wi brass, Tom Treddlehoyle Bairnsla Ann. (1863) 32; w.Yks.1 w.Yks.2 w.Yks.3 w.Yks.4 w.Yks.5 Lan. Yon oppressin' judge may goo his road wi' cruel peawer to sweigh us deawn, Clegg David's Loom (1894) 182. s.Lan.1 Lin. Streatfeild Lin. and Danes (1884)
5. n.Lin.1 Sweigh upo' my shouther, sir, I shan't fall.
6. To be irresolute. Sc. (Jam.) 7. Obs. with off: to turn aside. s.Sc. (Jam.) Slk. I saw the gate as I was gaun but I couldna swee him aff, Hogg Tales (1838) 153, ed. 1866.
7. With over: to upset, overbalance. w.Yks. Mind what ta'st duin' or else tha'll swey it ower, Leeds Merc. Suppl. (Sept. 10, 1898); (J.W.)
8. With up: to raise by leverage. e.Yks.1 10. sb. In phr. (1) on the sway, reeling about, as a person under the influence of drink; (2) to carry the sway, to excel in anything; to gain the victory; (3) to have a sway over person, to influence him; (4) to lose one's sway, to lose one's balance. (1) Lnk. Ilk ane reelin an' clean on the swee, Coghill Poems (1890) 110. (2) Ken. Don't ye be in such a hurry to carry the sway, Ellis Pronunc. (1889) V. 138; Ken.1 No matter what 'twas, mowin', or rippin', or crickut, or anything, 'twas all the same, I always carried the sway, time I was a young chap. (3) Abd. That wife o' his has sic a swye owre 'im, Alexander Johnny Gibb (1871) xxx. (4) s.Wor. One gentleman... lost his sway over a hurdle, Porson Quaint Wds. (1875).
9. A swing; a swinging motion. Sc. (Jam.), Sh.&Ork.1, Cum.1 Cum.4, Wm. (B.K.), Lan. (S.W.), ne.Lan.1, s.Lan.1 Chs.1; Chs.3 Gie us a good swee on yander swing. s.Chs.1, War. (J.R.W.)
10. A see-saw. Nhb.1 Wm. Let's mak a swey (B.K.).
11. Obs. A side movement; an inclination to one side; also used fig. Sc. (Jam.) Edb. Sic is Britain's present state. A sweigh will coup her ony gate, Learmont Poems (1791) 32. Slk. The wind often taks a swee away round, Hogg Tales (1838) 23, ed. 1866.
12. A balance; a lever; a crane; the handle of a pump. Ags. A long crow for raising stones (Jam.). Edb. A lever applied to the end of the churn-staff, Young Annals Agric. (1784-1815) XXI. 621. n.Yks.1, War.3, Shr.2, Suf.1
13. A flat iron rod, generally working on a pivot, suspended in the chimney, on which pots and kettles are hung. Sc. (Jam.); The pot... was raised by means of the black crook-shell to a higher link of the kitchen swey, or crane, Haliburton Fields (1890) 131. Sh.&Ork.1, Cai.1 Abd. Lighting the rush wick in the little black lamp that hung on the shoulder of the ‘swye’ from which the crook depended, Alexander Ain Flk. (1882) 215. Ayr. Willie's lum was one of an old-fashioned wideness, with a rungiltree instead of a swee, Hunter Studies (1870) 257. Dmf. Ye'll fin' a kettle boilin' on the swey, Paton Castlebraes (1898) 197. Nhb. The kettle that hung from an old-fashioned ‘swey,’ Graham Red Scaur (1896) 130. War.3
14. The greater part; the majority. w.Yks. I go wi 't sway (S.P.U.); w.Yks.3 T'sway on it will go into his pocket.
15. A big affair. s.Pem. (W.M.M.) 18. A rumour. W.M.M.
16. adj. Out of the perpendicular. Nhb. (Hall.), Nhb.1

SWAY, v.2 and sb.2 n.Cy. Der. Lei. Also in form swee n.Cy. [swei; swī.] 1. v. To feel giddy; to faint. Cf. sweb. Der. Addy Gl. (1888). Lei.1 His head sways so. Ah've got a sooch a sweein' i' my yead as meks me fale soidlin' daown loike. 2. sb. Giddiness, vertigo; a swoon. n.Cy. Grose (1790) Suppl. Der. I thowt it might be good for them sways i' th' head as troubles thee, Verney Stone Edge (1868) ii.

SWAY, v.3 Shr.1 [swē; swī.] To reduce a swelling, &c. by external applications; to disperse, as of milk in the mammae. Cf. swage, v.2 2. Yo' maun try an' swee away that swellin' o' the cow's side wuth butter-milk an' gŏŏze-ile.

SWAY, sb.3 Obs. or obsol. e.An. 1. A small, pliable twig or rod; a switch. e.An. A switch used by thatchers to bind their work (Hall.); e.An.1 Nrf. Grose (1790). e.Nrf. Marshall Rur. Econ. (1787). 2. A carpenter's tool for boring. Nrf. Trans. Phil. Soc. (1855) 37. [ON. sveigr, a switch (Vigfusson).]

SWAY, sb.4 Sc. (Jam.) Cum.4 Also in form swee Sc. (Jam.) The line of grass as it falls from the scythe or mowing-machine.

Source : Admiral W H Smyth - The Sailor's Wordbook

Source : The VNR dictionary of ships & the sea by Noel, John Vavasour, 1912-