{"id":1020,"date":"2022-03-08T00:38:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T00:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=1020"},"modified":"2022-03-08T00:38:31","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T00:38:31","slug":"one-fell-swoop-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/one-fell-swoop-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"One Fell Swoop - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did your entire squadron get taken out while playing \"Call of Duty<\/em>?\" If so, you could say that the enemy killed you all in \"one fell swoop<\/em>.\" This post unpacks the origin, meaning, and use of this phrase.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The meaning of the idiomatic phrase \"one fell swoop\"<\/em> comes from the meaning of the word \"swoop.\"<\/em> To \"swoop\" means to take swift, single action. The word \"fell<\/em>\" implies a forceful, ruthless, or cruel intention behind the action.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Language experts are unsure of the origin of this idiom. However, some experts believe it comes from a military strategy where leaders would overcome armies in \"one fell swoop.\" Considering the archaic language and the use of \"fell<\/em>,\" some experts think it could come from Roman times.<\/p>\n

The sense of fell retains its original meaning with the modern use of the phrase. The \"swoop<\/em>\" in the term typically refers to a strike, blow, or stroke or, in the metaphorical sense of a bird's sweeping descent from heights.<\/p>\n

The \"fell\" in the phrase comes from the aggressive posture of the swooping action by the bird; As a result, the saying would also experience an alteration to the form, \"one foul swoop<\/em>,\" replacing the use of the original \"fell<\/em>\" for \"foul<\/em>.\" The use of foul in this sense doesn't refer to \"fowl\"<\/em> or poultry; it means underhanded tactics.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"As the platoon approached the kill box, the airstrike team moved in a took them all out in one fell swoop<\/em> with a carpet bomb.\"<\/p>\n

\"Apple dominated the mobile communications market in one fell swoop<\/em> with the launch of the iPhone.\"<\/p>\n

\"The court dismissed all charges against the defendant in one fell swoop<\/em>.\"<\/p>\n

\"The bank took away their home and furniture in one fell swoop<\/em> after the family defaulted on their mortgage.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The idiomatic expression \"one fell swoop<\/em>\" comes from the Shakespeare play, \"Macbeth<\/em>.\" Shakespeare debuted the play in 1605, with the following verse penned in the script.<\/p>\n

All my pretty ones?<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?<\/em><\/p>\n

What, all my pretty chickens and their dam<\/em><\/p>\n

At one fell swoop?<\/em><\/p>\n

Shakespeare uses the phrase to mean swoop in the sense of a bird's swift descent. However, the expression can have an altered meaning to the word swoop, describing the action of swooping something up.<\/p>\n

After introducing the phrase, it did the rounds in English-speaking society. It still has plenty of use in conversation today, and you probably hear it from time to time.<\/p>\n

Many video gamers will use the term to describe their performance when facing high-stakes odds. It's a common phrase, even though its origin goes back nearly four centuries.<\/p>\n