Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. smart, sophisticated, chic.

1825		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 18 Dec. 373/1: Larken and Swankey Fuller [illeg.] the bets for 20l. a side.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 57: Ve vas in a swanky ken, flashing the broads, nix of bevey an nanty denarly.
1861		Bell’s Life in Sydney 2 Mar. 3/3: Polly Cooper, a dissipated demi-rep of the ‘swankey school’.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 151: Swankey, [...] something very elegant in taste and effect.
1911		Kilmore free Press (Perth) 3 May 7/2: A swanky Johnnie swaggered on to the accompaniment of loud applause.
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘A Gallant Gentleman’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 119: Fer Trent’s an English toff wiv swanky friends, / An’ wants to ’elp wot Ginger’s left be’ind.
1917		A. Brazil Madcap of the School 35: ‘[S]he’ll pass triumphantly through College and come out equal to a double-first or Senior Wrangler, or something swanky of that kind’.
1926		S. O’Casey Plough and the Stars Act II: If I could only put by a couple of quid for a swankier outfit.
1930		W. Winchell On Broadway 4 Jan. [synd. col.] Athe premieere of a swankey show [etc].
1934		R. Sale ‘A Nose for News’ in Goulart (1967) 215: It was a swanky spot, all furnished modernistic.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 92: In this swanky club [...] Detroit’s bluebloods used to congregate.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 21: I walked down Darlinghurst Road to my flat. It was swanky, and so it should have been because it was costing me two guineas.
1963		B. Hecht Gaily, Gaily 135: I bypassed them for the extra who was sitting at a swanky bar.
1975		‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell and the Three-card Trick (1977) 96: It was a swanky area, long avenues, big hedges, the houses hiding behind leaves of some kind.
1982		E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 11: Now that they have gone all swanky with their shop and stall in Thomas Street, they take Sunday off.
1986		P. O’Farrell Tell me, Sean O’Farrell 19: If the bread was buttered first it had the ‘swankee’ name of ‘French toast’.
1993		M. Dibdin Dying of the Light 111: Accrington fans regarded titles and cups as slightly swanky.
2000		Indep. on Sun. 9 Jan. 26: That swanky gym on Millbank.
2010		A. Steinberg Running the Books 266: He was slick and successful [...] showboating at the swanky Sugar Shack club.
2014		T.M. Simmler ‘Suicide Chump’ in ThugLit July [ebook] [T]he swanky minge was probably as attractive as a carp with a wig.
2017		G. Gilmore Headland [ebook] [W]ith a swanky architect for a dad.

2. of a person, conceited, arrogant, vulgar; also as adv.

1901		H. Lawson ‘The Ghosts of Many Christmases’ in Roderick (1972) 513: ‘I don’t know whether it was a blanky sermon or a blanky lecture,’ said long swanky Jim Bullock.
1934		B. Traven Death Ship 334: He walks rather heavily and quite swanky.
1939		K. Tennant Foveaux 323: I was born an’ reared in one of them little houses at the Foot you swanky bastards called slums.
1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 202: A swankpot is known as a Swanky Liz.
1964		A. Bennett God the Stonebreaker 173: With a swanky swagger, Panty glided over the thick red carpet.

3. of an object, vulgar, showy.

2001

J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 154: They both noticed the spanking new Town Car across the street at the same time. There was no reason for such a swanky vehicle in that neighborhood.