1. [n]  cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
2. [n]  implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
3. [v]  apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
4. [v]  wash with a swab or a mop; "swab the ship's decks"

1. \Swab\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swabbed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Swabbing}.] [See {Swabber}, n.]
   To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after
   washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also {swob}.]
   

2. \Swab\, n. [Written also swob.]
   1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels,
      etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.
   2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle,
      for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying
      medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.
   3. (Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang] --Marryat.
   4. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.] --Bailey.
   5. A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long
      rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
   

/swob/ The PDP-11 swap byte instruction mnemonic, as immortalised in the dd option "conv=swab".

1. To solve the NUXI problem by swapping bytes in a file.

2. The program in V7 Unix used to perform this action, or anything functionally equivalent to it.

See also big-endian, little-endian, middle-endian, bytesexual.

[Jargon File]