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swan - What does it mean?

Definition of 'swan'

English

(wikipedia)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) .

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus , most of which have white plumage.
  • (figuratively) One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
  • Derived terms
    * swanling * swan species: black swan, black-necked swan, mute swan, trumpeter swan, tundra swan, whooper swan * swan boat * swan dive * swanherd * swannery * swansdown * swanskin * swan song
    See also
    * cob (adult male) * cygnet (epicene, young) * lamentation * pen (adult female)

    Verb

    (swann)
  • (British) To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
  • * 2010 , Lee Rourke, The Canal , Melville House Publishing (2010), ISBN 9781935554905, unnumbered page:
  • He swans' around that stinking office in his expensive clothes that are a little too tight for comfort, he ' swans around that stinking office without a care in the world.
  • * 2013 , Tilly Bagshawe, One Summer’s Afternoon , HarperCollins (2013), ISBN 9780007472550, unnumbered page:
  • One of the few strokes of good luck Emma had had in recent days was the news that Tatiana Flint-Hamilton, her only real rival for top billing as 'most photographable girl' at today's event had decided to swan off to Sardinia instead, leaving the limelight entirely to Emma.
    Usage notes
    * In the sense "to travel", usually used as part of the phrase "to swan about" or "to swan around".

    Etymology 2

    Probably from dialectal , contraction of "I shall warrant"; later seen as a minced form of (term).

    Verb

    (swann)
  • (US|slang) To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).
  • * 1907 December, J. D. Archer, Foiling an eavesdropper'', in ''Telephony , volume 14, page 345:
  • "Well, I swan , man, I had a better opinion of you than that."
  • * 1940 , (Raymond Chandler), Farewell, My Lovely , Penguin 2010, page 214:
  • ‘She slammed the door so hard I figured a window'd break .’ ‘I swan ,’ I said.

    Anagrams

    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l) ----