swill

Etymology

From Middle English swilen (“to wash; swirl; wash away”), from Old English swillan, swilian (“to wash; wash down; swill; gargle”). Related to English swallow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /swɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

Noun

swill (plural swills)

1. (collective) A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs etc; especially kitchen waste for this purpose.

   Synonyms: hogwash, slops

2. (by extension) Any disgusting or distasteful liquid.

   I cannot believe anyone could drink this swill.

3. (by extension, figuratively) Anything disgusting or worthless.

   This new TV show is a worthless load of swill.

   • 2017 March 27, “The Observer view on triggering article 50”, in The Observer‎:

     They have helped foster a corrosive, mean-spirited, angry and divisive atmosphere that May and her lieutenants are too weak to challenge. Into this swill comes Leave financier-in-chief, Arron Banks, who last week announced he was setting up a “Patriotic Alliance” to attempt to unseat 100 Remain-supporting MPs.

4. (informal) A large quantity of liquid drunk at one swallow.

   Synonym: swig

   He took a swill of his drink and tried to think of words.

5. (informal) Inexpensive beer or alcohol.
6. (Ultimate Frisbee) A badly-thrown pass.

Verb

swill (third-person singular simple present swills, present participle swilling, simple past and past participle swilled)

1. To eat or drink greedily or to excess.
   • Smollett

     Well-dressed people, of both sexes, […] devouring sliced beef, and swilling pork, and punch, and cider.

   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 8

     If you can give me no more than twenty-five shillings, I'm sure I'm not going to buy you pork-pie to stuff, after you've swilled a bellyful of beer.

2. To wash something by flooding with water.
   • Shakespeare

     As fearfully as doth a galled rock / O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, / Swilled with the wild and wasteful ocean.

3. To inebriate; to fill with drink.
   • Milton

     I should be loth / To meet the rudeness and swilled insolence / Of such late wassailers.

4. To feed pigs swill.
   • 1921, Nephi Anderson, Dorian Chapter 8

     "Carlia, have you swilled the pigs?"

Anagrams

• Wills, wills