swap spitstv. to kiss with someone. A
couple of kids were in the car swapping
spits. Tiffany and Wilbur were off some-
where swapping spits, I guess.
swear like a trooperin. to curse and
swear with great facility. Mrs. Wilson
was known to swear like a trooper on oc-
casion. The clerk started swearing like
a trooper, and the customer started crying.
swear on a stack of Biblesin. to make a
very solemn pledge of one’s honesty.
(Folksy. Official oaths are sometimes
taken with one hand on a Bible. This
phrase implies that more Bibles make an
even stronger oath.) I swear on a stack
of Bibles that I was in Atlanta on the night
of January sixteenth. It’s true! I swear
on a stack of Bibles it’s true!
sweat 1. tv. & in. to fret (about something)
while waiting for an outcome. Come
on, don’t sweat it. It’ll work out. This
whole promotion business really has me
sweating. 2. n. trouble; bother. (See also
no sweat.) I can handle it. It won’t
cause me any sweat. You really caused
a lot of sweat around here.
sweat bloodtv. to work very hard at some-
thing; to endure distress in the process of
accomplishing something. (See also piss
blood.) And here I sweated blood to put
you through college, and you treat me like
a stranger. Everybody in the office had
to sweat blood that week.
sweat bulletstv. to suffer about some-
thing; to be anxious or nervous about
something; to sweat blood. They were
sweating bullets, waiting for the results.
The kid sat in the waiting room, sweating
bullets while the surgeons worked on his
brother.
sweat-shopn. a workplace where employ-
ees work long hours for low pay in poor
conditions. This office is a sweat-shop!
I only got a 2 percent raise. The bank
manager is unfair! I’ve been a teller in this
sweat-shop for thirteen years, and I’ve
never had a new carpet in my office.
sweat sockn. an athlete; a jock. (Usually
plural.) I live in a dorm with a bunch
of sweat socks. They feed us well, anyway.
Both Bill’s roommates are sweat socks
and smell like it, too.
sweat something outtv. to wait out some-
thing; to fret and worry until the end of
something. You’ll just have to sweat it
out. There’s no way to hurry it up. TWe’ ll
sweat out the wait—like everybody else.
sweetmod. good; profitable; excellent.
I got involved in a sweet deal having to do
with a better job. Fred offered Bill a
sweet contract, but Bill turned it down.
sweetentv. to make a bargain or agree-
ment better or more attractive. Okay,
I’ll sweeten the deal. I’ll throw in a lighted
mirror on the visor. Sweeten the deal
with air, and I’ll buy the car.
sweetenern. extra encouragement, usu-
ally in the form of money. Money
makes the best sweetener around. Let
me add a little sweetener, and we’ll see if
he goes for it.
sweetheart and sweetie(-pie)n. (one’s)
dear child, husband, wife, lover, etc. (Of-
ten a term of address.) Look, sweet-
heart, can’t we afford a new car? Pick up
your toys, sweetie. Aunt Matilda is coming
over for a visit.
sweetheart dealn. a deal made between
friends so that both may profit well.
(Such deals usually involve illegal or un-
ethical practices.) They found that the
mayor was involved in a number of sweet-
heart deals. Most of the general con-
tractors in town would be out of business
if they didn’t offer sweetheart deals to the
politicians.
sweetie(-pie)Go to sweetheart.
sweet nothings n. loving comments;
pleasant remarks between lovers. They
are out on the porch swing whispering
sweet nothings in each other’s ears.
Thank heavens most married people never
remember the sweet nothings they were
once told.
swellmod. fine; excellent. (Also sarcastic
use.) Where did you get that swell hat?
Oh that’s just swell! Yuck!
swellelegant[“swEl”El@g@nt] mod. really
fine. (From swell and elegant.) Gee, thisswellelegant