<B>Swedish massage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a massage in which Swedish movements are used. </DL>
<A NAME="swedishmovements">
<B>Swedish movements,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a series of exercises designed to tone up the different muscles and joints. </DL>
<A NAME="swedishturnip">
<B>Swedish turnip,</B> =rutabaga.</DL>
<A NAME="sweeny">
<B>sweeny, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> atrophy of the shoulder muscles of a horse, due to damage to a nerve or disuse of the limb. </DL>
<A NAME="sweep">
<B>sweep, </B>verb, <B>swept,</B> <B>sweeping,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1a. </B>to clean or clear (a floor, deck, or the like) with a broom or brush; use a broom or something like one to remove dirt; brush. <BR> <I>Ex. The campers swept the floor of their cabin every morning. Sweep the steps.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to make safe or passable by sweeping; clear of what impedes or endangers. <BR> <I>Ex. to sweep the sidewalk after a snowfall, to sweep a passage through a minefield.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to move, drive, or take away with a broom or brush. <BR> <I>Ex. They swept the dust into a pan. (Figurative.) The wind sweeps the snow into drifts. (Figurative.) She swept the change off the table into her purse.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to remove with a sweeping motion; carrying along. <BR> <I>Ex. cargo swept off the deck of a ship by waves. A flood swept away the bridge. (Figurative.) He kept abreast of the times and was not just swept along with them as his work ... proved (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to trail upon. <BR> <I>Ex. Her dress sweeps the ground.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) to pass over with a steady movement. <BR> <I>Ex. Her fingers swept the strings of the harp. His eyes swept the sky, searching for signs of rain.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Figurative.) to range over; scour. <BR> <I>Ex. Enthusiasm for the candidate swept the country.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>to win a complete victory in. <BR> <I>Ex. to sweep a baseball series.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to use a broom or something like one to remove dirt; clean a room or surface by sweeping. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to move swiftly; pass swiftly. <BR> <I>Ex. Pirates swept down on the town. The wind sweeps over the valley. When the deer sweeps by, and the hounds are in cry (Scott).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to move with dignity. <BR> <I>Ex. The lady swept out of the room.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) to move or extend in a long course or curve; stretch. <BR> <I>Ex. The shore sweeps to the south for miles.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an act of sweeping; clearing away; removing. <BR> <I>Ex. to give a room a good sweep. (Figurative.) He made a clean sweep of all his debts.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a steady, driving motion or swift onward course of something. <BR> <I>Ex. The sweep of the wind kept the trees from growing tall. (Figurative.) The sheer sweep of dramatic events carried many men along (Bruce Catton).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a smooth, flowing motion or line; dignified motion. <BR> <I>Ex. the regular sweep of an oar, (Figurative.) the stately sweep of heroic verse.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>a curve; bend. <BR> <I>Ex. the sweep of a road.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>a swinging or curving motion. <BR> <I>Ex. He cut the grass with strong sweeps of his scythe.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Figurative.) a continuous extent; stretch; expanse. <BR> <I>Ex. The house looks upon a wide sweep of farming country. The full length of civilization, as we know it, seemed hardly a second in the sweep of geological history unfolded in this painted canyon (William O. Douglas).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Figurative.) reach; range; extent. <BR> <I>Ex. The mountain is beyond the sweep of your eye. The Western plan had sweep and imagination (Time).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>a winning of all the games in a series, match, or contest; complete victory. <DD><B> 9. </B>a person who sweeps, especially chimneys, streets, and floors. <BR> <I>Ex. The sweep will dump his soot there (Manchester Guardian).</I> <DD><B> 10. </B>a long oar used in rowing and sometimes in steering. <BR> <I>Ex. Their sweeps were shorter, the oarsmen pulled in shorter arcs (Time).</I> <DD><B> 11a. </B>a long pole which pivots on a high post and is used to lower and raise a bucket in a well. <DD><B> b. </B>a pump handle. <DD><B> 12. </B>anything collected by or as if by sweeping; refuse. <DD><B> 13. </B><B>=sweepstakes.</B> <DD><B> 14a. </B>a slam in whist. <DD><B> b. </B>a pairing or combining of all the cards on the board, and so taking them, in cassino. <DD><B> 15. </B>(Physics.) a process of settling, or tending to settle, into thermal equilibrium. <DD><B> 16. </B>(Football.) end run. <BR><I>expr. <B>sweep off one's feet.</B> </I>See under <B>feet.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>sweeps,</B> <DD><B> 1. </B>gold and silver waste salvaged from the work of goldsmiths and silversmiths; sweepings. </I> <I>Ex. The inhabitants of Africa ... dress their gold dust in small bowls, after the manner that goldsmiths wash their sweeps (William Pryce).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a period when TV networks ratings are established on the basis of how many viewers they attract. <BR> <I>Ex. The multipart mini-series once a staple of the "sweeps" periods, has been virtually abandoned because of its exorbitant cost (Time).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>sweep the board.</B> </I>See under <B>board.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sweepback">
<B>sweepback, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the acute angle at which the wing of an aircraft slopes or slants backwards from the fuselage to the wing tip. <BR> <I>Ex. The wings pivot in such a way that they can be ranged with almost no sweepback for take-off and landing (Observer).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sweeper">
<B>sweeper, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that sweeps. <BR> <I>Ex. a carpet sweeper, a street sweeper.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=minesweeper.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sweephand">
<B>sweep hand,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a second hand of a clock or watch that is mounted together with the minute and hour hands and sweeps across the entire dial once every minute; sweep-second hand. <BR> <I>Ex. The silent inevitability of the sweep hand of a watch (Punch).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sweeping">
<B>sweeping, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>passing over a wide space. <BR> <I>Ex. Her sweeping glance took in the whole room.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having a wide range. <BR> <I>Ex. a sweeping victory, a sweeping statement. New York's Senate unanimously voted a sweeping investigation of illegal wire tapping (Wall Street Journal). Uncle Billy included the whole party in one sweeping anathema (Bret Harte).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> the act of a person or thing that sweeps. <BR><I>expr. <B>sweepings,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>dust, scraps, or rubbish swept out or up. </I> <I>Ex. She just shoved the sweepings into the closet.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) the most worthless people. <BR> <I>Ex. the sweepings of the city.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>the metal-yielding scraps of an establishment where precious metals are worked. <BR> <I>Ex. Goldsmiths and refiners are wont ... carefully to save the very sweepings of their shops (Robert Boyle).</I> adv. <B>sweepingly.</B> noun <B>sweepingness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sweepnet">
<B>sweep net,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a large net enclosing a wide space, used in fishing. <DD><B> 2. </B>a net used for catching insects, as by sweeping it over herbage. </DL>
<A NAME="sweepoar">
<B>sweep oar,</B> <B>=sweep </B>(def. 10).</DL>
<A NAME="sweeps">
<B>sweeps, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>sweep.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sweepsecondhand">
sweep-second hand, =sweep hand.</DL>
<A NAME="sweepstake">
<B>sweepstake, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=sweepstakes.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) <DD><B> a. </B>a person who wins all the stakes in a game. <DD><B> b. </B>a person who takes all or everything. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) <DD><B> a. </B>a sweeping in or winning of all the stakes in a game. <DD><B> b. </B>any total removal or clearance. </DL>
<A NAME="sweepstakes">
<B>sweepstakes, </B>noun, pl. <B>-stakes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a system of gambling on horses, races, or other contests. People buy tickets, and from the money they pay prizes are awarded to the holder or holders of winning tickets. <DD><B> 2a. </B>a race or contest by which the winner or winners are determined under such a system of gambling. <DD><B> b. </B>a race or contest in which the prize or prizes derive from a pooling of the stakes of the contestants, with or without additional contributions by the sponsor or sponsors of the contest. <DD><B> 3. </B>a prize in such a race or contest. </DL>
<A NAME="sweepswinger">
<B>sweepswinger, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an oarsman in a racing crew. <BR> <I>Ex. Right from the start, Navy's powerful sweepswingers made it clear they intended to get in front and stay there (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sweepticket">
<B>sweep ticket,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a ticket giving a chance in a sweepstakes. </DL>
<A NAME="sweepy">
<B>sweepy, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> characterized by sweeping movement or form; sweeping. </DL>
