People appointed to wash the swabs and wring them out, ready for use.
·noun An <<Epaulet>>. II. Swab ·noun A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. III. Swab ·noun To clean...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
A sort of long mop, formed of rope-yarns of old junk, used for cleaning and drying the decks and cab...
The Sailor's Word-Book
The bunch of rope-yarns sometimes secured to the tompion, saturated with water to cool the gun in ac...
A line bent to the eye of a swab for dipping it overboard in washing it. ...
The principal swab-washer, or captain of the head, in large ships. ...