Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./N.Z.) a hoax, a fraud, a deception; esp. as pull/put over/work a swiftie/swifty (on) v., to deceive.

1934		Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 23 Feb. 11/3: Carter then said to the prisoner, ‘You have worked a ... ‘swiftie’ on me over this, and I am going to report it to the C1. Branch’.
1940		Williamstown Chron. (Vic.) 1 June 6/3: I have heard Aleck raise h—, if ship’s officers try to slip a swiftie over him.
1944		Truth (Sydney) 21 May 3/1: On Friday a ‘swiftie’ was put over those bookie boys who gather at two of Sydney’s most popular sporting rendezvous to do their weekly spot of black-marketeering.
1946		Northern Standard (Darwin, NT) 1 Nov. 10/4: Chuck’s hunger for a big pay envelope induced him to work a swiftie and take a job out of his turn.
1953		D. Cusack Caddie 224: You didn’t work a swiftie on them, did you?
1956		J. Thompson ‘The Cellini Chalice’ in Fireworks (1988) 85: You just get through hitting me with one swiftie. Then [...] you bang me with another one.
1960		‘Nino Culotta’ Cop This Lot 54: ‘Worked a swifty.’ [...] ‘Wot swifty?’ ‘One up on Edie an’ Kay.’.
1965		M. Shadbolt Among Cinders 49: He wasn’t going to pull a swifty on me.
1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xl 4/5: swifty: To work a swifty is to fudge to cheat to con to handle to bunch up to poss, to twine, etc.
1973		(con. 1930s) F. Huelin ‘Keep Moving’ 58: We might have got somewhere if yous mugs hadn’t tried to put over a swifty.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 45: Swifty Fast trick.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 110/2: swiftie trick or deception, usually in phr. pull/work a swiftie.
1990		T. Winton Human Torpedo 81: Yairs, everyone leaves off on old Swifty Streeton!
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] Tobin’s face narrowed in suspicion. ‘You wouldn’t be pulling a swifty?’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 65: All the while eyeballing me as if I was trying to pull a swiftie on him.