释义 |
▪ I. swirl, n.|swɜːl| Also 5 swyrl(l)e, 6 swirle, Sc. sworle, sworll. [orig. Sc.: of uncertain source; if not of independent onomatopœic formation, prob. related to the similar Norw. dial. svirla, Du. zwirrelen to whirl, G. dial. schwirrlen to totter, which have the form of frequentatives of the stem contained in Da. svirre, Norw. dial. sverra, svirra, Sw. dial. svirra to whirl, G. schwirren to whiz, whir, chirp.] 1. a. An eddy, a whirlpool; an eddying or whirling body of water, in later use also of cloud, dust, etc.
c1425Wyntoun Cron. iv. iii. 261 Than gert he draw þat ryvere all In foure hundreth and sexty small Narow swyrlis. 1513Douglas æneis iii. viii. 113 The swelland swirl wp⁓hesit ws to hevin. Ibid. ix. iii. 66 Be that ilk pyky laik, wyth brais blak And laithly sworlis [ed. 1553 swirlis]. Ibid. xii. xi. 125 A sworll of fyre blesis vpthraw!
1834M. Scott Cruise Midge vi. (1836) I. 182 A white sheet of buzzing water,..in the small yeasty swirls of which the moon and stars sparkled diamond-like. 1840Carlyle Heroes i. (1904) 19 The Nottingham bargemen, when the River is in a certain flooded state (a kind of backwater, or eddying swirl it has, very dangerous to them), call it Eager. 1853Ruskin Stones Ven. II. vi. §8. 156 Seen through clefts in grey swirls of rain-cloud. 1861J. R. Green Lett. (1901) 84 Fresh swirls of flame..leapt ever onward to some new prey. 1894Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet 53 The keen, acrid swirls of wood-smoke blew into his eyes. b. A fairground roundabout with freely-pivoted cars drawn by a spider frame. slang.
1962Sunday Express 4 Feb. 1/4 She had four rides on the merry-go-round, two trips on the ghost train, and rides on the ‘swirl’ and the dodgems. 1968D. Braithwaite Fairground Architecture vi. 107 In the 1920's Savages of King's Lynn produced a ride known as the ‘Womp’. This was a variant of the ‘Whip’... Re-named the ‘Swirl’ by showmen, this ride was considerably refined by Thurston, Thurston and Lakin's Patents of 1929 and became one of the fastest rides on the fairground. 2. a. A whirling or eddying motion; a whirl, gyration.
1818Scott Br. Lamm. xxxiv, The leaves are withering fast on the trees, but she'll never see the Martinmas wind gar them dance in swirls like the fairy rings. 1818Keats Endym. iii. 630 Headlong I darted; at one eager swirl Gain'd its bright portal. 1871H. Macmillan True Vine v. (1872) 201 The slender, fragile, branched corals, yield to the swirl of the surging sea. 1902S. E. White Blazed Trail xviii, He stepped..out on the flat rock to which his guide brought the canoe with a swirl of the paddle. fig.1791J. Learmont Poems 51 The tricks o' ilka ill gi'en churle He brawlie tells, An' a' their deeds winds to a swirl Wi' logic spells. 1880T. A. Spalding Eliz. Demonol. 133 The very rush and swirl of town life. b. Engin. A circular motion imparted to the mixture entering the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine. Freq. attrib.
1926Engineering 27 Aug. 279/1 It is possible with sleeve valve operation to provide a high degree of swirl in the cylinder, which..serves to bring the air to the fuel. 1940C. B. Dicksee High-Speed Compression-Ignition Engine vii. 170 The swirl ratio, i.e. the ratio between the rate of air swirl and the rotational speed of the engine, varies in different designs. Ibid. The effect of the squish is..to increase the swirl already present. 1979P. J. Bowyer Boat Engines ii. 48 The mixing of air and fuel is all important so that the design of the inlet and exhaust ports, as well as the combustion area, is arranged to cause phenomena such as ‘squish’ or swirl. 3. a. A twist or convolution; a curl of hair; a knot in the grain of wood.
1786Burns Twa Dogs 36 His gawsie tail, wi' upward curl, Hung owre his hurdies wi' a swirl. 1825Jamieson, Swirl,..a twist or contortion in the grain of wood. S. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 217 The hair..which, notwithstanding its different swirls, all tends from the upper to the lower part of the body. b. A tress of hair or strip of material round the head or hat. (Cf. swirl v. 1 b.) Also attrib.
1909Daily Mail 3 Aug., A swirl of tulle..draped to suggest the irregular surface of fur. 1909Daily Graphic 4 Oct. 13/1, The adjustment of the new hats..demands the new swirl coiffure. 1909Punch 10 Nov. 326/1 Put off, put off your alien ‘swirls’, Resume..Those little inexpensive curls. 4. Special Comb.: swirl chamber Engin., a chamber in an internal-combustion engine fashioned so as to impart a whirling motion to the mixture passing through it into the cylinder; swirl skirt, a skirt cut circular or with many gores, so as to swirl when the wearer walks.
1934Proc. Inst. Mech. Engineers CXXVIII. 169 In some types of engine a very distinct improvement had been effected by making an additional passage from the cylinder head into the swirl chamber, so that the ‘squish’ was allowed to interfere..with the swirl. 1976Daily Tel. 3 Nov. 12/3 The swirl chamber in the 2068cc Rekord engine is specially designed for the best mixture and combustion of the fuel.
1962Harper's Bazaar Aug. 32 Dashing young suit with a swirl skirt. 1976Morecambe Guardian 7 Dec., Wearing a Russian-style fur hat, boots and a warm-coloured burgundy coat with swirl skirt, the Princess was escorted..to the private dining room at Cartmel College. ▪ II. swirl, v.|swɜːl| Also 6 Sc. sworl. [orig. Sc.: see prec.] 1. trans. To give a whirling or eddying motion to; to bring into some position by a whirling motion; to whirl, brandish.
1513Douglas æneis viii. ii. 64 The lang stremis and wallis [= waves] round sworling.
1790A. Wilson Poems, The Pack 61 Fearfu' winds loud gurl'd, An' mony a lum dang down, an' stack, Heigh i' the air up swirl'd. 1818S. E. Ferrier Marriage xxvi, Some withered leaves were swirled round and round, as if by the wind. 1844Ayrshire Wreath 192 He swirled his brand wi' a' his mycht. 1879Seguin Black For. ii. 72 The immense mass of floating timber, swirled and carried along by the raging waters. 1898Watts-Dunton Aylwin iii. iv, Great isles and continents of cloud were rolled and swirled from peak to peak. b. To give a twisted or convolute form to; to wind round (hair, trimming) in a ‘swirl’; also, to wrap round with something.
1902Westm. Gaz. 31 July 3/2 The trimming,..just a nice ribbon swirled round the crown. 1908Ibid. 6 June 13/2 A black or dark straw hat swirled with tulle. 1909Daily Mail 30 Sept. 5/3 Women..with their tresses dressed in the new manner swirled compactly about the head. 2. intr. a. Of water or of objects borne on water: To move in or upon eddies or little whirlpools.
1755R. Forbes Ajax's Sp. in Poems in Buchan Dial. (1785) 3 Wha..in a tight Thessalian bark To Colchos' harbour swirl'd. 1785Burns Winter Night ii, While burns, wi' snawy wreeths up-choked, Wild-eddying swirl. 1816L. Hunt Story Rimini i. 24 The far ships..chase the whistling brine, and swirl into the bay. 1858Kingsley Misc., Chalk-stream Stud. (1859) I. 167 The low bar over which the stream comes swirling and dimpling. 1902S. E. White Blazed Trail xlvii, The drivers were enabled to prevent the timbers from swirling in the eddies. b. Of other objects: To move rapidly in eddies or in a whirling or circular course.
1858Kingsley Misc., Chalk-stream Stud. (1859) I. 175 Great tails and back-fins are showing above the surface, and swirling suddenly among the tufts of grass. 1863― Water Bab. iii, While the fish are swirling at your fly as an oar⁓blade swirls in a boatrace. 1877Kinglake Crimea VI. xii. 247 Pouring through its two embrasures, or swirling round by its flanks, the bulk of the Grenadier Guards [etc.]. 1882B. Harte Flip i, The stage-coach swirled past the branches of a fir. 1885M. Arnold Poor Matthias 144 Swallows trooping in the sedge, Starlings swirling from the hedge. 1896Crockett Cleg Kelly (ed. 2) 21 The wind swirled about the old many gabled closes of Edinburgh. 3. Of the head, etc.: To swim, to be giddy or dizzy.
1818Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck I. xiii. 288 We'll never mair..swirl at the gelloch o' the ern. 1891Doyle White Company xvi, Even as he spoke,..his head swirled round. Hence swirled ppl. a., ˈswirling vbl. n.
1825Jamieson, Swirling, giddiness, vertigo. 1882Daily Tel. 12 Sept. 2/2 A furious swirling of foam. 1899Westm. Gaz. 6 Apr. 3/2 These swirlings of tulle. 1909Daily Mail 9 Oct. 11/4 The softly swirled folds of velvet. ▪ III. swirl north. dial. f. squirrel. |