Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A state of extreme distress or discomposure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A state of condition of haste, flutter; extreme discomposure or distress; irritation exasperation annoyance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a panic or extreme discomposure

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

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Examples

  • One for the writers: Damage that an author can do to his or her career by choosing the vanity press route. [via swivet]

    September 2008 2008

  • Michael Chabon is fighting the good fight for science fiction. [via swivet]

    August 2008 2008

  • Michael Chabon is fighting the good fight for science fiction. [via swivet]

    SF Tidbits for 8/22/08 2008

  • One for the writers: Damage that an author can do to his or her career by choosing the vanity press route. [via swivet]

    SF Tidbits for 9/8/08 2008

  • The Disco ‘Tute is in a swivet over the California Science Center’s cancellation of a showing of Darwin’s Dilemma, the latest excretion of Illustrata Media, producer of the late unlamented Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed at the Disco ‘Tute.

    The Panda's Thumb: October 2009 Archives 2009

  • The Disco ‘Tute is in a swivet over the California Science Center’s cancellation of a showing of Darwin’s Dilemma, the latest excretion of Illustrata Media, producer of the late unlamented Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed at the Disco ‘Tute.

    IDiots can't read. - The Panda's Thumb 2009

  • The specter of an Obama presidency has anti-gay forces in a swivet.

    Wayne Besen: Palin's All Dressed Up and Plotting 2008

  • Gasped Agnes, shocked by the request into an unwanted swivet.

    vignette: zombies (for andrew) Dean Francis Alfar 2005

  • I know, we're getting into a linguistic swivet (ph) here.

    CNN Transcript Oct 20, 2006 2006

  • True, he suffered a swivet after the crash of 1987; and a recent PBS series called Made in America bombed.

    Economic Principals David Warsh 1993

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  • "With only a few days to listen to the recordings, make notes, digest files from Time correspondents, read morgue clippings, and skim through several books, I was soon sprawled on the floor at home, surrounded by drifts of undifferentiated paper, and near tears in a catatonic swivet."

    - "Structure" by John McPhee, p 46 of the January 14, 2013 issue of the New Yorker

    January 15, 2013