One Fell Swoop Comes From Macbeth
To swoop is to descend suddenly and steeply. The famous phrase using it was coined by Shakespeare.
To swoop is to descend rapidly and steeply, as a bird of prey does. *In one fell swoop* is Shakespeare's, from *Macbeth* in 1606, where Macduff learns his family has been killed and imagines a hell-kite seizing them all at once. *Fell* there means cruel or deadly, from the same root as *felon*, not from falling. The word may come from Old English *swapan*, to sweep, making it a relative of *swipe*.
- To descend steeply. *The hawk swooped.*
- A sudden descent. *A swoop.*
- One fell swoop — all at once. *In one fell swoop.*
- Fell — cruel or deadly. *A fell blow.*
- Old English — *swapan*, to sweep. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | swoop | Swoop down. |
| Past | swooped | Swooped. |
| Noun | swoop | A swoop. |
| Phrase | one fell swoop | One fell swoop. |
| Related | swipe | Swipe. |
- The kestrel swooped on the mouse.Bird.
- Police swooped at dawn.Raid.
- All gone in one fell swoop.Shakespeare.
Phrases Shakespeare gave English
- One fell swoop — Macbeth
- Wild goose chase — Romeo and Juliet
- Break the ice — The Taming of the Shrew
- A foregone conclusion — Othello
- Salad days — Antony and Cleopatra
Probably from Old English *swapan*, to sweep, related to *swipe*.
What does fell mean in one fell swoop?
Cruel or deadly, from the same root as felon. It has nothing to do with falling.
Who coined the phrase?
Shakespeare, in Macbeth of 1606, when Macduff learns of his family's murder.