May-day sweep /meɪ deɪ swiːp/ noun1 •One of the sweeps (chimney sweeps), clad in bright clothes and garlands and carrying a blackened broom, in a May Day parade.The common herd of mortals invent excuses : they shuffle like a May-day sweep, and lie like the prospectus of a new Magazine. — 1823 formsMay Day sweeps · May-day sweeps