sweepern.
/ˈswiːpə/, U.S. /ˈswipər/ 1. † b. A broom for sweeping out an oven. Obsolete.
a. gen. One who or that which sweeps (something): usually with objective of.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > brushing or sweeping > [noun] > one who or that which
sweeper1530
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 278/1 Swepar of chymneys.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Sweper of houses, scoparius..Sweper of the ground wyth hys fete, atta.
1555 J. Heywood Two Hundred Epigrammes with Thyrde sig. A.viiiv New broome swepeth cleane, in the clene swepers hande.
1706 E. Ward Hudibras Redivivus I. vii. 18 The Sweeper of a Chimney.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Balai du cie The sweeper of the sky; a name given by sailors to the north-west winds of America which always bring clear weather.
1812 W. Cobbett in Examiner 19 Oct. 671/1 Noble Ladies, who..condescended to become housekeepers and sweepers of malls.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun] > baker's equipment > oven-rake, -broom, or -mop
oven rakeOE
cole-rakec1440
sweeperc1440
furgon1530
scovel1553
furner1598
fruggan1611
oven-fork1611
scovin1657
coul-rake1877
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 323/2 Malkyne, mappyl, or ouen swepare, dossorium, tersorium.
1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Escouillon, an Ouen sweeper.
c. One who or a vessel which sweeps for something under water. Now usually short for minesweeper n.
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the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > [noun] > types of search or searching > searching by dredging for anything under water > one who
sweeper1775
dragger1887
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > mine-sweeper
minesweeper1904
sweeper1915
M/S1923
R-boat1942
mine-hunter1964
1775 N. D. Falck Philos. Diss. Diving Vessel 46 The boat should advance but very slowly, and the sweepers should hold the line in their hands all the while.
1915 S. H. Carden in M. Gilbert Winston S. Churchill (1972) III. Compan. i. 405 Battleships preceded by sweepers making way up towards Narrows.
1941 S. O'Casey Let. 28 Apr. (1975) I. 886 Delighted to hear John [Allen]'s allright on a sweeper.
1979 D. Gurr Troika i. 5 Losses of submariners trying to run the Baltic minefields without benefit of sweepers were appalling.
d. Cricket. A batter who sweeps (sense 2b).
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > batsman > types of batsman
sticker1832
short runner1833
punisher1846
slogger1850
blocker1851
cutter1851
swiper1853
top scorer1860
stick1863
left-hander1864
smiter1878
centurion1886
driver1888
pad-player1888
poker1888
spectacle-maker1893
back-player1897
hooker1900
under-runner1903
puller1911
square cutter1920
straight driver1925
stroke-maker1927
goose-gamer1928
stroke-player1935
flasher1936
sweeper1961
tonker1977
1961 Times 21 Aug. 3/3 There can be few more effective sweepers.
1963 Times 19 Feb. 4/2 He is a fine cutter and an enthusiastic sweeper. Today he swept only twice, lest the shot should get him into trouble, as it sometimes does.
1965 D. Silk Attacking Cricket iv. 60 The best sweepers bring the bat down on the ball from above as well as across.
e. Association Football. One who plays as the last line of defence except the goalkeeper, across the width of the field (i.e. as opposed to a right or left back, etc., in other systems).
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > player > types of
marksman1927
marker1928
stopper1934
full back1958
sweeper1964
back four1966
libero1967
clogger1970
anchorman1974
target man1975
shadow1976
anchor1984
1964 Times 13 Apr. 4/1 Moore..played a giant part in his role as ‘sweeper’ of the rear.
1971 Times 15 Feb. 9/2 Of the other younger England [hockey] players Perry had a solid game as sweeper.
1973 Daily Pennsylvanian 9 Oct. 6 We knew they were using a sweeper, so we had to run to the corners to draw him out.
1976 Denbighshire Free Press 8 Dec. 24/2 Even with Bernie Welsh operating as sweeper behind a defensive line of four, Courtaulds were far from impressive at the back when the ball was in the air.
2. attributive.1828 M. M. Sherwood Poor Burruff (ed. 2) 11 Marten, who sent the sweeper-man immediately to the poor dog, to remove the arrow.1837 Lett. from Madras (1843) x. 89 He kept no sweeper-woman, and, as may be supposed, the dirt crunched under our feet as we walked.1859 Mrs. R. M. Coopland Lady's Escape from Gwalior iii. 58 Matrané, a woman of the sweeper caste.1909 J. Hastings Encycl. Relig. II. 551/2 The sweeper or scavenger caste of Hindustan.
a. A person employed in sweeping a room, chimney, house, ship, etc.; spec. in India, a person of the lowest caste. Also in combination, as chimney-sweeper n., crossing-sweeper n. at crossing n. Compounds 2. Also attributive as sweeper caste.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > brushing or sweeping > [noun] > one who or that which > as occupation
sweeper1657
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > other people of low rank or condition > [adjective] > belonging to low Hindu caste
pariah1711
sweeper1837
low-caste1894
Panchama1898
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > other people of low rank or condition > [noun] > member of any low Hindu caste > member of specific low Hindu caste
Kunbi1598
pariah1613
Shudra1630
Vaishya1665
chuckler1759
bhangi1823
Kori1839
Mahar1855
sweeper1859
Kola1873
Sansi1882
Panchama1893
untouchable1909
Harijan1931
Scheduled Caste1935
Dalit1948
Scheduled Tribe1957
1657 J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee i. 267 Those chimney houses, so foul, and black, and sooty, that they need the sweeper to come to them quickly.
1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. iii. 76 The four private Sweepers [in the papal household].
1675 J. Smith Christian Relig. Appeal iii. i. 12 Hybreas the Oratour, in lineaments of Face and whole Body was so peer'd by the sweeper of his School, as [etc.].
1713 T. Parkyns Inn-play Pref. sig. A2 A Sweeper and Pump Dresser to a Fencing School.
1715 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1901) V. 47 A Woman and a Girl..not sworn or admitted to be Sweepers.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Balayeur The swabber or sweeper of a ship, usually called captain's swabber.
1790 Laws of Harvard Coll. 58 The Steward shall also engage proper sweepers for the Colleges.
1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 82 Whose rhymes are so bad, he was never yet able To serve as last sweeper in Pegasus' stable.
1844 W. H. Sleeman Rambles & Recoll. I. viii. 64 The right of sweeping within a certain range is recognised by the caste to belong to a certain member... If any house-keeper..happens to offend the sweeper..none of his filth will be removed.
1859 J. Lang Wanderings in India 259 Two sweepers—men of the lowest caste of Hindoos.
1861 Macmillan's Mag. Feb. 268/2 The rooms [in an American College] were supposed to be taken care of by three or four men called ‘sweepers’, whose duty extended only to making the beds daily, and sweeping the rooms occasionally.
b. One who sweeps the ice at curling.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > curling > [noun] > curler > sweeper
sweeper1789
broomster1831
1789 D. Davidson Thoughts Seasons 165 Allan of Airds, a sweeper good.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > trap or snare > part of
sweek1594
sweeper1621
1621 G. Markham Hungers Preuention vi. 42 The sweaper or maine plant, which as it is prescribed of Hazell, Elme, or Witchen, so in this case it may be of Willow.
1681 J. Worlidge Systema Agric. 245 The main Plant, or Sweeper must be also proportionable to the strength of the Fowl.
4. A telescope used for ‘sweeping’ the sky: cf. sweep n. 7, sweep v. 21 ? Obsolete.
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the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > observational instruments > [noun] > telescope
sector1711
astronomical telescope1723
sweeper1786
comet seeker1819
photo-telescope1893
Schmidt–Cassegrain1943
space telescope1953
photopolarimeter1971
1786 W. Herschel Sci. Papers (1912) I. 294 This nebula was discovered..with an excellent small Newtonian Sweeper of 27 inches focal length, and a power of 30.
1792 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 82 24.
5.
a. A mechanical apparatus for sweeping a floor, road, etc.; a sweeping-machine.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > brushing or sweeping > [noun] > other apparatus for sweeping
wing1573
sweep1825
carpet sweeper1859
sweeper1862
1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 6139 The dust, lint, and even hairs, pins, needles, &c. are taken up directly into the box and there retained as the sweeper moves along.
1892 A. E. Lee Hist. Columbus II. 528 [In 1886] N. B. Abbott began running a fourhorse sweeper on High Street six nights per week.
b. colloquial. An electronic device for detecting listening or recording apparatus. Also, a person operating such a device.
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the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > electronic espionage > [noun] > device > device for detecting
sweeper1968
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > electronic espionage > [noun] > device > device for detecting > person operating
sweeper1968
1968 Observer 16 June 7/2 To help in the job of debugging, Mr. Johnson is having electronic ‘sweepers’ manufactured... Small ones can be operated by firms' security officers to keep a boardroom ‘clean’ after it has been ‘swept’. It was with one of these ‘sweepers’ that an attempt to smuggle a bug into a boardroom in the bottom of a coffee pot was recently foiled.
1972 K. Benton Spy in Chancery xi. 116 They sent a ‘sweeper’ team..and they went through the rooms in Chancery.
1979 F. Forsyth Devil's Alternative x. 232 A secure room regularly checked by the ‘sweepers’ who are.. looking for..listening devices.
6. A tree growing close to the margin of a stream and overhanging it. Also, a partially fallen or drifting tree. North American.
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the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > characterized by habitat > [noun] > that grows near water
water tree1600
sweeper1888
1888 S. M. St. Maur Jrnl. 19 July in Impressions of Tenderfoot (1890) vii. 95 We glided through the water at about ten miles an hour, sometimes rushing..within a few inches of a sweeper, as they call the trees which hang across the river.
1929 L. Johnston Beyond Rockies 191 ‘Where are them sweepers, Charlie?’ (sweepers being the river term for drifting trees, which may in a moment upset the craft of an unwary skipper).
1977 New Yorker 9 May 120/2 Over the cut bank a sweeper had recently fallen, a spruce whose trunk reached into the river... Sweepers tend to trap boats.
7. Electronics. A sweep generator or oscillator. colloquial.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > [noun] > oscillator > types of
multivibrator1919
squegger1921
relaxation oscillator1931
sweeper1967
Wien bridge oscillator1967
1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 2 (advt.) The main frame of the 3211A contains everything you could hope to find in a sweeper.
1976 Physics Bull. Sept. 411/1 The hired equipment included spectrum analysers, signal generators, sweepers, oscilloscopes, [etc.].
Derivatives
ˈsweeperess n. a female (crossing-) sweeper.Apparently an isolated use.
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1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xlii. 379 The sweeperess at the crossing.
Draft additions 1993
8. In motorcycle or bicycle racing: a bend or turn negotiated with a controlled, sideways sweep of the rear wheel; a sliding movement of this kind. slang.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing with vehicles > motorcycle racing or race > [noun] > specific manoeuvre
sweeper1986
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing with vehicles > bicycle race > [noun] > specific manoeuvre
air1984
sweeper1986
1986 Road Racer Aug.–Sept. 58/2 The Cobas still sat up a little under heavy braking round the fast left sweeper leading into the Calafat hairpin.
1987 BMX Plus! Sept. 77/3 He..went into a slider, then into a sweeper and from there into a side glide.
1988 Cycle World Sept. 34/1 In long, fast sweepers, both bikes tend to wallow and move around, often enough to be rather disconcerting.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1919; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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