Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a hard worker, orig. one devoted to mathematics; thus swottish adj.

1844		J.W. Kaye Peregrine Pultuney 73: These seemed to be talking very vehemently about something they called ‘swat.’ [...] ‘What’s swat?’ asked Peregrine Pultuney. ‘In your studies,’ said he of the pimples.
1850		N. and Q. 1st Ser. I 352/2: I have often heard military men talk of swot, meaning thereby mathematics; and persons eminent in that science are termed ‘good swots’.
1888		Times 1 Feb. 12/2: Remember the many epithets applied to those who, not content with doing their work, commit the heinous offence of being absorbed in it. Every school, every college has had its choice nickname for this unfortunate class... such as a ‘sap’, a ‘smug’, a ‘swot’, a ‘bloke’, a ‘mugster’ [F&H].
1899		Kipling ‘The Impressionists’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 106: ‘That’s the worst of clever little swots,’ said McTurk, addressing the gas. ‘They get made prefects before they have any tact.’.
1908		Magnet 7 Mar. 2: You beastly swot!
1913		C. Mackenzie Sinister Street I 267: The Upper Fifth are a greasy crowd of swats.
1940		M. Marples Public School Slang 59: Boys in general have a great flair for derogatory and vituperative expression [...] swot, swank, sneak, jew, swine, tick, scoff, cad, blog, nip, oik, lout, wet, drip, squit, squirt, mug, scug, sap, simp, seet, gump, muff, goof, goop, waft.
1940		F. Sargeson ‘A Good Boy’ in A Man And His Wife (1944) 71: My father was making me a swot at book-keeping so I could be an accountant.
1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 199: They snort ‘You swot!’ if they find him preparing work before a lesson.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 80: The despised swots, unkempt and myopic.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 215: ‘Clear off, swot,’ I grunted.
1982		Beano 3 July 11: The kids’ll call me a swot!
1998		A. Warner Sopranos 76: ‘Ah don’t know what yous call it in America but she’s a real swot’.
1999		Guardian G2 24 Aug. 7: I’m just a boring swot, really.
1999		Observer Rev. 11 July 5: Swottish, anxious Hermione.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 131: The whole class stared, arse-lickers, swots, tearaways, braggers, bullies, victims.
2004		Gazette (Montreal) 31 July 4/5: Don’t confuse swots with nerds.
2009		Intelligent Life Spring 92/2: He became a self-confessed swot, obsessively throwing himself into his schoolwork.
2016		Guardian G2 29/1: Kahn is a good boy [...] A grade college swot.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 152: Halfhead was a swot. He took Greek, the swot’s option.

2. hard work, revision.

1962		M.K. Joseph Pound of Saffron 32: Shouldn’t you be doing a bit of swot?
1971		N. Armfelt Catching Up 191: I was planning to do some swot.