swabbers, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

swabbers n.

[? SE swab, to mop up. In the variety of whist known as whisk and swabbers a player that held these cards was automatically entitled to a share of the pot]

in cards, the ace of hearts, the knave of clubs, and the ace and deuce of trumps.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Swabbers the Ace of Hearts, Knave of Clubs, Ace and Duce of Trumps.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1757		Foote Author in Works (1799) I 140: We shou’d be glad of your company [...] at whisk and swabbers.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1793		Sporting Mag. Aug. II 307/1: You mun know that were noine and noine, at whisk and swabbers, clubs was trumps [etc.].
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.