Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. squint-eyed.

1757		Smollett Reprisal II xiv: Swing the swivel-ey’ed son of a whore!
1781		C. Johnston Hist. J. Juniper I 21: Some witch or fairy [...] must have stolen away her own child [...] and left this swivel-eyed elf in his place [OED].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
a.1790		C.Dibdin ‘The Three Catalanis’ in Songs (1842) 288/1: Miss Swivel — her eyes were not fully a pair — One aspir’d, while the other look’d down.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1837		‘Terence O’Shaughnessy’ in Bentley’s Misc. Jan. 41: What do you think, Terence, was his reply? Why, that Miss Mac Teggart might go to Bath, for he would have no call to my swivel-eyed customers.
1875		Burlington Wkly Free Press (VT) 23 July 2/7: I [...] wished that I had that swivel-eyed statesman with me. I could assign six boats to each eye, and reserve one for myself.
1888		Reno Gaz.-Jrnl (NV) 25 Aug. 2/1: The swivel-eyed statesman, Benj. Butler.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 13 Mar. 1/1: Firearms should not be given to swivel-eyed slops until they can tell frightened citizens from felons.
1911		L. Chevalier ‘Getting into Society’ Variety Stage Eng. Plays 🌐 A swivel-eyed woman singin’ a howlin’ success.
1924		Lawrence & Skinner Boy in Bush 68: Easu was a coarse, swivel-eyed, loose-jointed tall fellow.
1948		Dly News (NY) 15 June 404/4: The interpreter went swivel-eyed. His jaw opened and stayed that way.
1959		Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) 14 June n.p.: I know it’s shameful but [...] we can’t see everything — We’ll come home swivel-eyed as it is.
1984		Arizona Dly Star (Tucson, AZ) 2 Aug. 10/3: His own personal personal bodyguards — two swivel-eyed men who stood on either side of him.

2. a general abusive epithet.

1887		‘’Arry in the Witness-Box’ in Punch 5 Feb. 61/2: Oh, Charlie!!! Wot swivel-eyed jossers the best on us is, mate, at times!
1889		A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke 244: Your blue-coated, gold-braided, swivel-eyed, quarter-deckers.
1890		Sporting Times 22 Mar. 2/2: There’s no tape, no ‘special,’ nor anything in this swivel-eyed, one-hoss hole!
1906		Monro City Democrat (MO) 18 Jan. 7/3: Why, you leather-necked, swivel-eyed son of a sea cook.
1917		Scribner’s Mag. LXI 150/2: You coldblooded shark, you swivel-eyed, skinflint son of Belial!
1930		J. Betancourt ‘The White “E”’Submarine Stories Mar. 56/2: ‘Go right ahead, you swivel-eyed port-sider,’ he returned.
1931		Western Mail (Perth) 19 Feb. 2/3: This ’ere cow-hocked, swivel-eyed [...] crimson-bellied, blanketty-blank.
1939		T.P. Smith Cordially Yours 62: Whereupon the Bartender, rising to his full height [...] roared at the Waiter, ‘You swivel-eyed skate! get on the job.’.
1945		R.S. Close Love me Sailor 61: Give it to me ye swivel-eyed bastard!
1952		I.L. Idriess In Crocodile Land 25: Wait till I get you back on the Lotus, you swivel-eyed sons of jellyfish!
1993		Guardian 28 May 3/2: ‘We want fewer swivel-eyed ideologues, not more’.
2001		A. Sillitoe Birthday 204: Ceasing to rebel against the toffee-nosed poxed-up loudmouthed swivel-eyed fuckpigs.
2013		Anniston Star (AL) 20 Oct. 2F/2: What was it a Tory colleague had said of Britons who pursue who pursue similarly radical positions? ‘Swivel-eyed loons’.