Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Swells collectively; the fashionable world.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Jocose People of rank and fashion; the class of swells, collectively.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun dated, humorous People of rank and fashion; the class of
swells , collectively.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Europe and all the leaders of European swelldom, the more prosperous of the demi-mondaines and no end of the merely rich of every land, congregate there and thereabouts.
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The Bossiers and Beechams were leaders of swelldom among the squattocracy up the country, and firm and intimate friends.
My Brilliant Career Miles Franklin 1916
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Father was admitted into swelldom merely by right of his position.
My Brilliant Career Miles Franklin 1916
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West End swelldom, the type of a class Saxham abhorred.
The Dop Doctor Richard Dehan 1897
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Flinder's Lane and incoming ships, walked beside their pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars, and immaculate suits.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Fergus Hume 1895
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In spite of lack of humor and a thousand other defects which ought to make English swelldom antagonistic to our countrymen, the fact remains that “smart” London tempts a certain number of Americans and has become a promised land, toward which they turn longing eyes.
The Ways of Men Eliot Gregory 1884
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Half the ruling sovereigns of Europe and all the leaders of European swelldom, the more prosperous of the demi-mondaines and no end of the merely rich of every land, congregate there and thereabouts.
Marse Henry (Volume 2) An Autobiography Henry Watterson 1880
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Half the ruling sovereigns of Europe and all the leaders of European swelldom, the more prosperous of the demi-mondaines and no end of the merely rich of every land, congregate there and thereabouts.
Marse Henry, Complete An Autobiography Henry Watterson 1880
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And you can imagine how noses were flattened against the windows to see all this hierarchical swelldom.
The Nabob Alphonse Daudet 1868
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Lawyers, their legal quibbles finished for the week, were strolling leisurely with their black bags in their hands; portly merchants, forgetting Flinder’s Lane and incoming ships, walked beside their pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars, and immaculate suits.
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