S.W.A.K.



S.W.A.K.

A mark of affection on the back of an envelope. Before e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter, people exchanged romantic sentiments by means of handwritten letters. One way to include a final bit of tenderness was to write S.W.A.K. on the back of the envelope. Women often blotted their lipstick over the four letters to emphasize their love.

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Boghos-Armenian
Djordje-Serbian
Grazianograht-SYAH-noItalian
AlpAHLPTurkish
Alidaah-LEE-dah (German)Dutch, German, Hungarian
Tola-Khmer