swy

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English

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Etymology

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From German zwei. Doublet of tway.

Noun

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swy (plural swies)

  1. (Australia, obsolete) A two-shilling coin.
  2. (Australia, games) Two-up. [From 1913.]
    • 1951, Dymphna Cusack, Florence James, 1957, Come In Spinner, page 306,
      [] Coupla bastards come the raw prawn over me on the last lap up from Melbourne and I done me last bob at Swy.”
    • 1953, Tom Inglis Moore, editor, Australia Writes, page 3:
      “Then I come,” Kernow said, “and maybe I show you Old Australians how to play this — swy.”
    • 1990, Frank J. Hardy, Retreat Australia fair and other Great Australian Legends, page 121:
      [] You′d swear a butterflied penny was spinning, especially in the night, playing under lights, but a good ringkeeper or any experienced swy player can pick a butterflied penny from the genuine spinning article.’
  3. (Australia, slang) A two-year prison sentence.