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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

in one foul swoop en · ADP

Etymology

Mondegreen variant of in one fell swoop, where "fell" (of a strong and cruel nature; eager and unsparing; grim; fierce; ruthless; savage) is misheard as "foul" (disgusting) or "fowl" (a bird).

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, proscribed) (Achieved or completed) with a single action; in a single stroke.
    • The acquiescence of the party as the result of hasty and immature deliberation, is indicative of a supreme contempt of comrades, and vitiates in one foul swoop the conditions that regulate the movement. 1915 November 18, The Labor Call, page 10:
    • I need to get it all out at once, inflicting the damage in one foul swoop before facing the fallout left in my wake. 2017, BJ Harvey, One Shot, page 59:
    • All their suspicions had evaporated in one foul swoop by Neil's announcement, and was now confirmed by a document that if they signed, asked them to become trustees of Neil's charity. 2013, Chris J. Berry, The Celestial Window, page 22: