# one fell swoop, one full swoop, one fowl swoop...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 11, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156 "2003-06-11T17:37:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Candlemas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Candlemas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candlemas)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/1 "2003-06-11T17:37:39Z")

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Which is correct? Any insight on its origins?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/2 "2003-06-11T17:42:29Z")

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[http://www.word-detective.com/back-c.html#fellswoop](http://www.word-detective.com/back-c.html#fellswoop)

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/3 "2003-06-11T18:22:35Z")

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[One Swell Foop](http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/30e19.html)

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**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/4 "2003-06-11T20:37:09Z")

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The phrase comes from Shakespeare’s _Macbeth_ – Macduff has just been told that while he’s been out of the country Macbeth has had his entire family killed:

_He has no children. All my pretty ones?  
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?  
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam  
At one fell swoop?_

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**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/5 "2003-06-11T20:47:44Z")

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One fell swoop.  
From Macbeth, as Katisha noted.  
“Fell” in the sense of cruel and destructive.  
“Swoop” in the sense of a bird of prey descending on its prey with closed wings – i.e. swiftly.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-fell-swoop-one-full-swoop-one-fowl-swoop/181156/6 "2003-06-11T21:37:15Z")

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[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?&threadid=137995) is a very old thread on the subject.