swan-upping

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the practice or action of marking nicks in swans' beaks as a sign of ownership

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the annual swan-upping of royal cygnets on the River Thames

[C16: from up (in the archaic sense: to catch and mark a swan)]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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References in periodicals archive ?

A Duck-downing B Heron-lefting C Puffin-righting D Swan-upping 2.

General Knowledge Quiz

On his travels, Martin also meets a snake charmer in Nepal, sees how bulbul songbirds are used in gambling and, back in Blighty, tries the 500-year-old activity of swan-upping.

tv RECORD

On his travels Martin also meets a snake charmer in Nepal, sees how bulbul songbirds are used in gambling and, back in Blighty, tries the 500-year-old activity of swan-upping.

Today's TV; SOAP UPDATE

'The Swan with Two Necks comes from swan-upping on the Thames, when they put a couple of nicks in the beak to identify who the owner was.'

Why we love the Swan; In the seventh of our series based on the 12 Days of Christmas, Andrew Davies looks at the why swans are a particularly popular choice for pub names

Back in Britain, he partakes in a traditional 'swan-upping' event on the River Thames to monitor the population of the birds, and discovers how horses are used to help autistic children.