Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Present participle of
swing the lead .
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reesetee commented on the word swinging the lead
The original meaning referred to measuring the depth of water beneath a ship using a lead-weighted sounding line. The term came to refer to a sailor who was feigning illness to avoid a hard job; he was said to be "swinging the lead."
February 6, 2008