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prettygoodwordswivet (SWIV-et) - (U.S.) n., a state of anxiety, confusion, or excitement.
While swither is a (largely) Britishism, this one's a (largely) Americanism. It was first recorded in a 1890s collection of Kentucky dialect words, but it was soon shown to be in use throughout the southeastern United States -- and by the 1950s, it was in general use in American English. Origin is unknown, and apparently entirely unrelated to swither except in sound.
---L.
While swither is a (largely) Britishism, this one's a (largely) Americanism. It was first recorded in a 1890s collection of Kentucky dialect words, but it was soon shown to be in use throughout the southeastern United States -- and by the 1950s, it was in general use in American English. Origin is unknown, and apparently entirely unrelated to swither except in sound.
---L.
