To exchange.
1742. Verily [said Sancho] the laws of chivalry are very strict, since they do not extend to the swapping of one ass for another.—Charles Jarvis, ‘Transl. of Don Quixote,’ i. 110.
1782. It is needless to describe [his clothes], as he would swap them away.—Runaway advt., Maryland Journal, July 23.
1797. They [the Indians] then examined our clothes, and particularly our hats, which they wanted us to exchange for theirs, crying out “Swop!” “Swop!” a word which they had borrowed from the Kentuckians; however, as the disposition was not mutual, we declined their offer.—Fra. Baily, F.R.S., ‘Journal of a Tour,’ p. 378 (Lond., 1856).
bef. 1811. A Connecticut dealer who was “down” with a fever, in a very dangerous state, had had a particular medicine sent to him, to be taken four times a day. A friend, calling in, smelt the mixture and pronounced it to be excellent; it had cured his grandmother. “It is worth a dollar a bottle,” said he. At these electrifying words the dying man opened his eyes, raised himself an inch, and faltered out, “A dollar a bottle, Enoch! there are three bottles of it, and, if you’ve no objection, I’ll swap the whole lot for your black terrier.”—John Bernard, ‘Retrospections of America,’ p. 40 (N.Y., 1887).
1811. [The Indians] called out, in their mode of defiance, “Will you swap a fight?”—Mass. Spy, Aug. 28.
1823. One of the Indian boys went into a store, and wanted to “swop” for whiskey.—Missouri Intelligencer, April 15.
1825. He [your genuine Yankee] will “swap” any thing with you; “trade” with you, for any thing; but is never the man to give anything away, so long as there is any prospect of doing better with it.—John Neal, ‘Brother Jonathan,’ i. 154.
1833. You took the first pick, but I love my Eleanor too well to have the slightest inclination to swap.—James Hall, ‘Legends of the West,’ p. 247 (Phila.). (Italics in the original.)
1835. See HORSE-SWAP.
1844. Their communications related solely to the mysteries of trade and the science of swap and pledge, in which they were both eminently skilled.—Watmough, ‘Scribblings and Sketches,’ p. 137 (Phila.).
1845. I have known two men to make $10,000 each by swapping lots.—Bangor Mercury, n.d.
1846. Such as rode ponies were desirous of swapping them for the American horses of the emigrants, or of trading them for whiskey.—Edwin Bryant, ‘What I saw in California,’ p. 51–2 (N.Y.). (Italics in the original.)
1846. Those who now took the opposite side had swapped sides, and had taken the wrong side.—Mr. Rhett of S. Carolina, House of Repr., Aug. 3: Cong. Globe, p. 1187.
1854. See TRADE.
1857. When two fellows swap guns, ’taint the feller that gets the poorest gun that feels proud, or stands treat, or gets flattered for his bargain.—J. G. Holland, ‘The Bay-Path,’ p. 171.
1859. The South … loves religion in the pulpit and politics on the stump—and despises both, when they change places and swap sentiments.—Richmond Enquirer, Dec. 2, p. 2/1.
1861. It is no time for us to be swapping jack-knives when the ship is sinking.—Mr. H. M. Rice of Minnesota, U.S. Senate, July 24: Cong. Globe, p. 242/2.
1863. We declined … to swap the principles of Patrick Henry for those of mud-sill Hammond.—Mr. Shellabarger of Ohio, House of Repr., Jan. 27: id., p. 71/1, App.
1870. Father’s necessities for an abler horse led him one day … to swop her off, and by giving some boot, to get an abler horse.—Dr. D. Drake, ‘Pioneer Life in Kentucky,’ p. 81.
