Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to drink heavily; thus as n., a drink; thus swiller n., a drinker; swilling n., drinking.

c.1551		Tom Tyler and his Wife (1661) in Farmer (1908) 32: She hath such skill, to do what she will, To gossip and to swill.
1579		S. Gosson School of Abuse (1868) 39: She accounted them vnwoorthy the name of men [...] because they were smoothly appareled, soft lodged, daintely feasted, bathed in warme waters, rubbed with sweet oyntments, strewd with fine poulders, wine swillers, fingers, Dauncers, and Players.
1583		P. Stubbes Anatomie of Abuses 95: They continue [...] swilling and gulling, night and day, till they be as drunke as apes, and blockish as beasts.
1592		Nashe Pierce Pennilesse 59: His subjects should not offend in swilling, & bibbing.
1603		Dekker Wonderfull Yeare 35: Whilst Troy was swilling sack and sugar.
1616		Times’ Whistle Satire 1 line 556: They which on this day doe drink and swill / In such lewd fashion.
1630		J. Taylor ‘Travels of Twelve-pence’ in Works (1869) I 74: With gurmandizing, beastly belly filling, / With swinish drinking, and with drunken swilling.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew Act II: As Tom or Tib, or Jack, or Jill, / When they at Bowsing Ken do swill.
1674		T. Duffet Empress of Morocco Act III: Their sweet Liquor, I’le be swilling.
c.1677		Rochester ‘To the Post Boy’ in Works (1999) 42: I’ve out swilld Bacchus, sworn of my own make / Oaths that would fright furies and make Pluto quake.
1686		Dorset ‘A Faithful Catalogue of our most Eminent Ninnies’ Works of Rochester, Roscommon, Dorset (1720) 36: That is, may the decay’d incestuous Punk / Swill like his Spouse, and he, like her, die drunk.
1696		Motteux (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) II Bk V 517: Let’s even go drink [...] and drink bravely, old boy; twist like plough-jobbers, and swill like tinkers.
1707		N. Ward Wooden World 22: Perpetual swilling, eating, and sleeping for a whole Twelve Month together.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy V 310: Short measure, strange Pleasure thus Billing and Swilling.
1725		N. Ward Amorous Bugbears 42: Go drunk to Bed and snoar away the Night; / In his own Guts thus barrels up his Stout, / And swill until the Tap of Life runs out.
1733		Laugh and Be Fat 151: Thus Billing / And Swilling, / Some yearly / Get fairly for Fairings, / Pig, Pork, and a Clap.
1775		Sheridan Duenna III v: Ye eat, and swill, and sleep, and gourmandize, and thrive.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Swill to Drink greedily.
1798		Sporting Mag. Dec. XIII 173/2: And drowth do never trouble me, Before I gets a zwill.
c.1800		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Out At Last!’ Works (1801) V 118: I will be Minister of State, And swill from night to morn the Nation’s wine.
1812		W. Tennant Anster Fair II lx 47: They swill, they swig, they take a hearty rouse / Cheering their flesh with Bacchus’ benefit.
1834		Marryat Peter Simple (1911) 269: Mark my words, you burgoo-eating, pea-soup-swilling, trouser scrubbing son of a bitch!
1842		Manchester Courier 5 Mar. 3/2: Drinking! [...] Fuddling, Swilling [...] Sucking the monkey, Sluicing the ivories, etc.
1854		E.L. Sloan ‘Mrs. Sleek’ Bard’s Offering 72: But the old toper dog must come here for a swill.
1858		F.W. Farrar Eric II 230: Here! before you’re all done with your swilling [...] I’ve got a health.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor (1968) I 15: Duck-legged Dick had a donkey / And his lush loved much for to swill.
1864		‘Edmund Kirke’ Down in Tennessee 89: Two ‘double-lined,’ ‘fire-proof,’ Kentucky ‘whisky-swillers’.
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 33: Even Murphy, who was tired of doing nothing but swilling at a brandy bottle, agreed to go.
1881		Jackson Standard (OH) 20 Jan. 2/1: Heaven would be a sweet place, if filled with Portsmouth smokers and beer-swillers.
1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) II 353: He swilled more wine, tumbled onto the sofa, where we left him drunk and snoring.
1891		A.E. Durandeau [perf. Charles Godfrey] ‘Giddy Little Curate’ 🎵 [of tea] Such a cooing little, billing little, eating little, swilling little / Naughty tea-and-toast young curate.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 12 Aug. 1/3: You should ’ave seen him up at Guv’ment ’Ouse, a drinkin’ and a swilling’ with the Guv.
1895		J. London ‘And ’Frisco Kid Came Back’ High School Aegis X 4 Nov. 2–4: De ole man [...] swilled like ’r fish till he kicked de pig.
1901		‘Punter Bill’ ‘Clibborn’s Crooked Crew’ in Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 10 Apr. 1/6: Do you think they care a damn, sir? / While toff owners’ fiz they swill.
1906		Marvel 15 Dec. 589: D’ye think I don’t know your tricks, swilling beer at low public houses.
1911		J. Masefield Everlasting Mercy 67: Swilled down gin enough to swim in.
1914		Sun. Times (Perth) 28 June 8/8: The shicker-swilling stomick.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 206: Swill till eleven. Irish nights entertainment.
1934		J. Franklyn This Gutter Life 100: D’ye think I want the bloody bogeys on my bloody premises ’cause a mug like you wants to swill his guts after hours? – not so bloody likely!
1941		‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 19 Apr. 9/6: [Y]ou live the life you choose (or even as you swill your booze).
1943		Mass-Observation Report on Juvenile Drinking 11: More drinks are ordered – gosh! how they can swill it!
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 12: Swilling cocktails, eh?
1969		J. Crumley One to Count Cadence (1987) 208: You fat lazy bastard [...] Swill beer like a pig all day.
1975		J. Wambaugh Choirboys (1976) 262: The two choirboys had swilled free drinks all evening.
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 139: I been here, swillin’ the Michelob, all this time.
1999		Guardian G2 2 Aug. 3: British brewing is nearly as jiggered as the people who swill their products.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 212: His pulse mis-fired. He swilled scotch.
2006		P. Shannon Davey Darling 187: I [...] swilled Coke.
2010		Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) 12 Mar. 🌐 It is consistently chosen above the rest by sophisticated overseas beer lovers as well as SA swillers.
2020		S.A. Crosby Blacktop Wasteland 60: The pill-popping, moonshine-swilling, meth head patrons.