swizzle

[swiz-uh l]

noun

a tall drink, originating in Barbados, composed of full-flavored West Indian rum, lime juice, crushed ice, and sugar: typically served with a swizzle stick.

verb (used with object), swiz·zled, swiz·zling.

to agitate (a beverage) with a swizzle stick.

to gulp down; guzzle.

Nearby words

Origin of swizzle

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Related formsswiz·zler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swizzle

In the sparkling “swizzle” was an infusion of the baneful Savannah flower.
The Maroon|Mayne Reid
If enny one tries to swizzle me out of it I'm goin' to swizzle back, an' you can lay to that.
A Man to His Mate|J. Allan Dunn
Swizzle withdrew the auger hurriedly; from its point a few bright red drops trickled.
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales|Bret Harte
At the worst of the storm there is neither Heaven nor Earth, but only a swizzle into which a man may be brewed.
Letters of Travel (1892-1913)|Rudyard Kipling

Not fizz at all, but that old brewing of honey—mead—metheglin—old Saxon swizzle.
Sir Hilton's Sin|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for swizzle

swizzle

noun

US an unshaken cocktail

an alcoholic drink containing gin or rum

British informal a swiz

verb

(tr) to stir a swizzle stick in (a drink)

British informal to swindle; cheat

Word Origin for swizzle

C19: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for swizzle

swizzle

1813, name for various kinds of liquor drinks, or for intoxicating drinks generally, possibly a variant of switchel "a drink of molasses and water" (often mixed with rum), first attested 1790, of uncertain origin. Swizzle-stick attested by 1859.