swell(1) (iou) and impending (iou)

swell(1) (iou)

swell noun, adjective, & adverb. ME.

A. noun.
A swelling due to disease etc. Only in ME.
The rising or heaving of the sea etc. in long rolling waves that do not break, as after a storm; such a wave or waves collectively; spec. long-period wave movement persisting after the wind causing it has dropped, or due to a distant storm. Cf. SEA 5d. E16.
D. Bagley The oily swells..surged in from the mouth of the bay. G. Santayana The ship was rolling slightly..in the long placid swell.
b. The rising of a river above its ordinary level. Now rare or obsolete. M18.
The condition of being swollen, distended, or increased in bulk; an instance of this; swelling or protuberant form. Also, a protuberance, a bulge. M17.
John Holland The irregular swells and hollows on the surface of a casting.
b. fig. Increase in amount. Now rare or obsolete. M18.
a. The swelling or welling up of a feeling, emotion, etc.; an instance of this. Now rare or obsolete. E18.
W. Cowper The swell of pity, not to be confin'd Within the scanty limits of the mind.
b. Arrogant, pompous, or pretentious manner or behaviour; (an instance of) swagger. Freq. in cut a swell, cut a dash, swagger. Now rare or obsolete. E18.
c. Turgid or inflated language. M18-M19.
A gradually and evenly rising hill or upland, a piece of rising ground. Also (Geology), a submarine rise; a dome. M18.
J. Buchan A swell of moorland which crowned a..plateau.
Gradual increase of sound, esp. Music, in volume or fullness; an instance of this, a rising burst of Music etc.; spec. in Music, (a mark denoting) a crescendo followed by a diminuendo. M18.
H. Caine The soar and swell of the psalm filled the room. G. K. Chesterton Through the night came..a strong swell of human voices.
b. Music. A mechanism for producing a crescendo or diminuendo in an organ, harmonium, etc., consisting of a shutter, lid, or (now usu.) series of slats operated by a pedal or lever. L18.
Venetian swell: see VENETIAN adjective.
A fashionable or stylish person, a dandy; a person of wealth or good social position; transf. a person of distinguished achievements, a person who is very clever or good at something. arch. colloq. L18.
M. Edgar A grand little lad was young Albert, All dressed in his best; quite a swell.
Comb.: swell-box Music a box enclosing organ-pipes, fitted with a shutter, slats, etc., as part of a swell (sense 6b); swell-organ Music the section of an organ with its pipes enclosed in a swell-box.
b. adjective.
Proud, arrogant. Only in LME.
Orig. (arch.), of or pertaining to wealth or social distinction; stylish, fashionable, smart. Now also (chiefly N. Amer.) loosely, excellent, fine, splendid; most pleasant, kind, or effective. colloq. E19.
swell mob slang (obsolete exc. Hist.) a class of pickpockets who assumed the dress and manners of wealthy people to escape detection; swell-mobsman, a member of the swell mob.
P. G. Wodehouse A country-house party with a lot of swell people. D. Hammett 'She's full of gas and ready to go.' 'Swell'. C. Porter What a swell party this is. R. Banks She could apologize, and everything would be swell.
C. adverb. In a splendid manner, very well, excellently. colloq. (now chiefly N. Amer.). M19.
swelldom noun (arch. colloq.) people of Fashion and social distinction collectively, the world of swells M19.
swellish adjective (arch. colloq.) characteristic of or suitable for a swell or fashionable person, stylish, dandified E19.
swellishness noun (arch. colloq.) M19.
swellism noun (arch. colloq.) the character, style, or practice of a swell or fashionable person M19.

impending (iou)

impending adjective. L17.
[from IMPEND + -ING2.]
Of evil, danger, etc.: threatening, imminent. L17.
R. Cobb She had an annoying habit of being able to spot impending disaster well ahead. R. V. Jones It was brought about by the impending collapse of Francenow only five days away.
Overhanging. Now rare. M18.
W. Cowper Terribly arch'd and aquiline his nose, And overbuilt with most impending brows.

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