swirl; gust. This is a rather confusing word in Scots. In fact, there are several homonyms, not all related in origin. The word exemplified by William Thom in Rhymes and Recollections of a Handloom Weaver (1845) – As the storm would swither and swell – is related to the swirl of snow also listed in the chapter on Rain, Snow and Hail. Yet another swither is a very useful verb for when one is unable to make up one’s mind, and then one swithers.
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