2006-11-24 06:29:17 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I mean, what is the origin of the term?
2006-11-24 06:34:05 · update #1
The attack dive made by birds of prey.
2006-11-24 06:37:13 · answer #1 · answered by S.A.M. Gunner 7212 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was originally a logging term, like when a logman got the tree in "one fell swoop". When I was little I used to say "One foul swoop."
2006-11-24 14:39:05 · answer #2 · answered by purely*imaginate 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means to do something all at the same time. It's normally said as, "one fell swoop".
2006-11-24 14:32:32 · answer #3 · answered by Belie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's the final swing of the axe that causes the tree to fall...that's why when they say something happened in "one fell swoop" it means that the desired result was achieved in one go.
I'm probably off here this was just from memory.
2006-11-24 14:33:24 · answer #4 · answered by chezzy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It uses the term 'fell' in an archaic sense, to mean something deadly or devastating. This link explains the whole term.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/15/messages/212.html
2006-11-24 14:41:00 · answer #5 · answered by functionary01 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
it's a slang term for getting everything at once, and refers to some number of items.
2006-11-24 14:32:27 · answer #6 · answered by de bossy one 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋