Swingle
Swingle , intransitive verb
[Freq. of swing.]
1.
To dangle; to wave hanging. [Obsolete] — Johnson
2.
To swing for pleasure. [Obsolete or Provincial English]
Swingle , transitive verb
[See Swingel.]
1.
To clean, as flax, by beating it with a swingle, so as to separate the coarse parts and the woody substance from it; to scutch.
2.
To beat off the tops of without pulling up the roots; -- said of weeds. [Provincial English] — Forby
Swingle , noun
A wooden instrument like a large knife, about two feet long, with one thin edge, used for beating and cleaning flax; a scutcher; -- called also swingling knife, swingling staff, and swingling wand.