Englishone fell swoop
Meaning: One quick, sweeping action.
Example: “She cleared the entire garage in one fell swoop.”
Origin: Coined, or at least first written down, by Shakespeare in Macbeth (1606). Learning that his wife and children have been murdered, Macduff cries out in anguish, comparing the slaughter to a hawk destroying an entire nest at once: "what, all my pretty chickens and their dam / at one fell swoop?" "Fell" here is an old adjective, current since the 1200s and related to "felon," meaning fierce, savage, or deadly — a sense that has otherwise vanished from English outside this one surviving phrase. "Swoop" names the rapid, single diving strike a bird of prey makes on its target. Over the centuries the idiom's original violence has faded almost entirely, leaving behind only its core sense of totality and suddenness — something accomplished all at once, in a single decisive stroke.
More English idioms
- out of the woods Out of danger; out of a very difficult situation.
- over the top Beyond expectations; outside normal or accepted boundaries; exaggerated.
- over a barrel In a difficult situation or position.
- over the hill Too old to be of much value.
- paint someone a picture To explain something in very great detail.
- Pandora's box A situation that contains many unexpected and unwanted problems and consequences.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Chi prima arriva meglio alloggia Whoever arrives first gets the best choice.
- Il troppo stroppia Too much of anything, even a good thing, does harm.
- L'occasione fa l'uomo ladro People who would never plan a wrong may commit one when the chance is easy.
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