fell (redirected from felled)

at/in one fell swoop

if you do something at one fell swoop, you do everything you have to do at the same time. I'd prefer to do the paperwork in one fell swoop. At least then we know it's finished with.

See also: swoop

wouldn't know something if it hit you in the face

to not notice something although it is very obvious. Julie wouldn't know a good deal if it hit her in the face!

See also: face, hit, know, wouldn't

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the bottom fell out (of something)

something suddenly lost value. When the bottom fell out of the real estate market, a lot of people lost a lot of money.

Usage notes: usually used in the past tense

See also: bottom

in one fell swoop

all at the same time. I prefer to see someone in charge so we can deal with everything in one fell swoop.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of fell swoop (= a quick, sudden downward movement by an attacking bird)

See also: swoop