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swab |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Swab \Swab\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swabbed}; p. pr & vb n. {Swabbing}.] [See {Swabber}, n.] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also {swob}.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Swab \Swab\, n. [Written also swob.] 1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads. 2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts etc 3. (Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang] --Marryat. 4. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.] --Bailey. 5. A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: swab n 1: small piece of cotton used to apply medication, cleanse a wound, or obtain a specimen of a secretion 2: absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors [syn: {swob}, {mop}] v 1: wash with a swab or a mop; "Mop the floors" [syn: {mop}, {swob}] 2: apply (usually a liquid) to a surface [syn: {dab}, {swob}] From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: swab /swob/ [From the mnemonic for the PDP-11 `SWAp Byte' instruction, as immortalized in the `dd(1)' option `conv=swab' (see {dd})] 1. vt To solve the {NUXI problem} by swapping bytes in a file. 2. n. The program in V7 Unix used to perform this action or anything functionally equivalent to it See also {big-endian}, {little-endian}, {middle-endian}, {bytesexual}. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: swab /swob/ The {PDP-11} swap byte instruction mnemonic, as immortalised in the {dd} option "conv=swab". 1. To solve the {NUXI problem} by swapping bytes in a file. 2. The program in V7 Unix used to perform this action or anything functionally equivalent to it See also {big-endian}, {little-endian}, {middle-endian}, {bytesexual}. [{Jargon File}]
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