A: Did you know Mary? I heard she graduated from the same middle school as you. B: Of course I did. She and her younger sister, both very pretty, cut a big swath on campus. Note: This idiom means “to draw a lot of attention, make a considerable display.” This metaphoric use of making a big sweep of the scythe in cutting grass survives despite the mechanization of farming and the declining use of the noun “swath.” It first appeared in the mid-1800s. It also means “to cause a lot of damage or suffering in a specific area or population,” in other contexts. For example: It seems that the high winds cut a wide swath through our neighborhood last night, blowing down trees and power lines on nearly every street. |