Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also swank it, swank it up) to swagger; thus swanking adj., swaggering.

1707		N. Ward London Terraefilius III 6: Here comes a Swanking Widow for you, who [...] has as much Flesh upon her Back as a Fat Lincolnshire Bullock.
1913		Sport (Adelaide) 14 June 7/1: They Say [...] That Mac was swanking at the races trying to pick a winner.
1915		Honk! 28 Jan. 2/1: A D.A.P. who swanks as a ‘nut’ in the ranks / Has no chance of becoming a ‘Kernel’.
1926		S. O’Casey Plough and the Stars Act I: To-night is th’ first chance that Brennan has got of showing himself off [...] It’ll be a treat to see him swankin’ it at th’ head of the Citizen Army.
1929		N. Jacob Man Who Found Himself (1952) 92: I wasn’t speaking the truth – I was trying to swank.
1934		Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 202: Dug spikes into the guest’s coconut while he was asleep, and then went swanking about the place like a Girl Guide.
1942		(con. 1890s) S. O’Casey Pictures in the Hallway 69: Tom was a handsome fellow, and was swanking it a bit now before the hurlers.
1945		(con. 1938) R. Westerby Mad in Pursuit 166: I wasn’t swanking.
1949		R. Park Poor Man’s Orange 200: Swanking around the way no feller was good enough for her.
1956		I. Fleming Diamonds Are Forever (1958) 103: You’ll be able to swank around back in London and tell the story of how you took ’em at the Tiara.
1958		D. Stivens Scholarly Mouse and other Tales 76: I don’t want to swank it.
1958		Willans & Searle Complete Molesworth (1985) 143: I would not swank if i were you.
1963		B. Hecht Gaily, Gaily 86: Indeed, all our public guardians of today, swanking around on their underworld takes, must pay homage to Jim Colosimo as the founding father of their corruption.
1978		V.G. O’Sullivan Boy, The Bridge, The River 131: You don’t want them to think you’re swanking about in it.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 266: One day they were cocaine chums, swanking it up in the nightclubs.
2000		ObserverReview 17 Sept. 1/3: [Peter] Mandelson swanked around the salons of the wealthy [...] he was ‘a star fucker’.
2003		K. Cage Gayle.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 778: [P]erhaps swank a little about my takings compared with theirs!

2. to work hard at school or university; thus swanking n.

1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1911		A.G.C. Through College Keyhole (Cambr.) 11: E’en have I dreamed of a minute Swanking to claim a degree [OED].

3. to pretend, to make as if.

1899		C. Rook Hooligan Nights 7: You swank as you want to take the room.
1932		M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 107: Others say they’re not lazy and like work, and are only swanking they’re poor.
1953		J. Franklyn Cockney 285: Cockney boys [...] do not ‘pretend’ – they swank. ‘Let’s swank that there barrer’s a bomber we fetched deahrn.’.
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 203: Swank Pretend: ‘Let’s swank that Tommy here isn’t married’.

4. to show someone or something off.

1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 291: Why, then, dear old chaps, we may as well ‘swank.’ Rag, you’re in very proper livery, old chap. Let’s go through it with a bit of ‘side’.
1915		Honk! 29 Aug. 2/1: A couple of Australians at an adjoining table decided they were not going to allow themselves to be out-swanked.
1929		Hall & Niles One Man’s War 20: The entire male population of the Republic had put away its civilian clothes and swanked out in blue tunics and poppy-red breeches.
1945		(con. WWI) J.W. Bellah ‘Fear’ in Mason Fighting American (1945) 449: The Army to him had meant young wastrels swanking the Guards’ livery in the boxes of theatres.
1985		N. Pileggi Wiseguy (2001) 116: Having a steady girl was not unusual [...] you did swank them around, rent them apartments, lease them cars.

5. to boast.

1873		Sl. Dict. 316: Swank, to boast or ‘gas’ unduly.
1911		Gem 25 Nov. 16: Wimpole, the United skipper, was not what would be called swanking, but it was easy to see that he regarded the match as pratically won already.
1920		Marvel 14 Aug. 6: ‘Now, where’s this sportsmanship you’re swanking about?’ he sneered.
1936		(con. 1830s–60s) ‘Miles Franklin’ All That Swagger 359: It was placed to Brian’s credit that he had not swanked about this intimacy with the dons.
1950		A. Buckeridge Jennings Goes To School 30: Don’t swank, Jennings.
1959		K. Amis letter 30 July in Leader (2000) 560: There’s less swank about high living – and less to swank about.
1962		K. Waterhouse There is a Happy Land (1964) 134: So have I, man, so you needn’t swank!
1977		G. Melly Rum, Bum and Concertina (1978) 16: Psychiatrists to whom I swanked about my fondness for Eliot.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 267: ‘The one that’s in all the guides. Where all the people off the yachts go,’ he swanked.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 156: I ought not to swank but I am no mean sleuth when it comes to deducing griff.

6. (Aus.) to drink.

1913		Truth (Sydney) 23 Feb. 9/6: Bushie admitted that he had been swanking beers with Stickney frbm 6 o'clock until stop-tap.
1913		Truth (Sydney) 16 Mar. 11/2: Then the cups wouldn't go around [...] some had to wait while the others swanked their tea before they could borrow a cup for themselves.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 10 Jan. 9/8: He rushed back to find her swanking beers with a couple of younkers.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 10 Jan. 9/9: Whatever benefits, if any, accrue from swanking tea must be purely mental.