Literary notes about swish (AI summary)
The word “swish” is employed in literature as an onomatopoeic device that vividly captures both subtle and dynamic motions. It can evoke the gentle sound of natural elements—the soft swish of waves against the rocks [1] or the delicate patter of rain on a thatched roof [2]—while also conveying the rapid movement of fabric or objects, such as the sound of a skirt in motion [3, 4] or even the swift stroke of oars slicing through water [5]. In some works, “swish” heightens the tension in energetic scenes, marking the abrupt clash of action like a sudden dash or mechanical noise [6, 7]. In this way, authors use “swish” to enrich the sensory landscape of their narratives, bridging auditory and visual experiences to animate moments with immediacy and grace.
- The waves broke with a soft swish on the rocks below them, and the tang of the sea was in the strong, fresh air.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - There was a swish of rain on the straw thatch of the hut.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - He heard suddenly the swish of her skirt, and her soft voice in his ear.
— from Mysterious Mr. Sabin by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim - During the pause he heard the swish of a skirt in the hall above.
— from McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, September 1908, No. 5 by Various - The land breeze was cool; there was little sound except the swish of the oars.
— from The Voodoo Gold Trail by Walter Walden - It was the clank of the levers and the swish of the leaking cylinder.
— from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - He sprang forward, and then saw he must be caught, and swish !
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells
