Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus., also swy-up) the game of two-up or the site where it is played .

1911		Morn. Bulletin (Rockhampton) 17 May 5/6: The building is known as the ‘alley’ or the ‘school’ or the ‘swy-up’ Those terms are used as defining a two-up gambling school.
1921		implied in swy school below.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 75: Swy, the game of two-up.
1950		(con. 1936–46) K.S. Prichard Winged Seeds (1984) 63: What set the whole town agog, though, was their attempt to visit the ‘swy’: the famous two-up ring.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 11: ‘How about a game of Swy just to pass the time?’ ‘What’s Swy, Aussie?’ ‘Two-up.’.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 70: And swy-up, too?
1966		J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 103: ‘I have paid a very high price for my information about swy’.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 8: I play two-up. You know – swy, the pennies, betting on how two tossed coins will land; from German ‘zwei’, two; c.1920.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 68: Slower than an arthritic at a swy game.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 203: [T]he man who once conned his poor Aunty Ada out of her pension money so he could go and play swy at Thommo’s .

2. two, esp. a two-shilling (10p) coin (a pre-decimalization florin) or a two-year prison sentence.

1919		Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Mar 7/3: He hasn’t condescended to accept any colloquial contributions from Germany worth speaking about, the only two words I can recollect being ‘zwei (two),’ pronounced ‘swi,’ and ‘strafe’.
1924		Truth (Sydney) 27 Apr. 6: Swy, two.
1932		Sun. Mail (Brisbane) 13 Nov. 20/8: ‘So-and-so strapped me for a shwe to-day. He was in a yike up north and copped a blue. Had to do a tommy-off and he is down here in smoke.’ Translated, someone had borrowed a florin from the speaker. He had got into trouble in the north and with a warrant issued for his arrest had escaped by boat and had gone into hiding.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 75: Swy, [...] (3) A florin.
1941		Williamstown Chron. (Vic.) 3 May 6/2: I know one [gambler] who has his ‘swi’ of ‘deeners’ (2/-) each ride he has.
1946		Singleton Argus (NSW) 4/2: Getting the things ‘picked’ meant traced; the ‘swy’ was a couple of years in gaol.
1948		R. Raven-Hart Canoe in Aus. 186: Thank Heaven no half-crowns to be confused with florins (‘sways’).
1950		S.J. Baker in Sun. Herald (Sydney) 8 June 9/3: The underworld has an extensive vocabulary of financial terms. Among those recorded by Detective Doyle are: ‘Deuce,’ ‘swy,’ and ‘peg,’ two shillings.
1975		Bulletin (Sydney) 26 Apr. 44: The low creeps got me a swy with a one.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 157: ‘I had to borrow a friggin’ swy [...] so I could get here’.
1983		Aus. Journal of Cultural Studies May 91: Twenty years, or a Life Sentence: The Lot. Ten years: A Brick. Five years: A Spin. Two years: A Swy.
1984		B. Ellem Doing Time 198: swy: two ounces of tobacco.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Swy. Two, from German zwei. Term variously used for a two year sentence, two ounces of tobacco and the game of two-up. Often used to describe tobacco generally.

3. (Aus.) a sentence of two years in prison.

1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 75: Swy, [...] (2) A sentence of two years’ gaol.
1946		Singleton Argus (NSW) 4/2: Getting the things ‘picked’ meant traced; the ‘swy’ was a couple of years in gaol.
1975		Bulletin (Sydney) 26 Apr. 44: The low creeps got me a swy with a one.
1983		Aus. Journal of Cultural Studies May 91: Twenty years, or a Life Sentence: The Lot. Ten years: A Brick. Five years: A Spin. Two years: A Swy.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Swy. Two, from German zwei. Term variously used for a two year sentence [etc].

4. (Aus. prison) 50 gm tobacco.

1988

‘Siriusly’ Speaking in Just Us (H.M. Prison, Beechworth, Vic.) Dec. 27/2: swtn.50 gm tobacco (can you lend me a swy?).