cut a (wide) swath, to
cut a (wide) swath
1. To garner attention. Cindy is such a talented designer that I'm sure her gowns will cut a swath in the fashion world.
2. To cause a lot of damage or suffering in a specific area or population. 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. Severe malnourishment has certainly cut a swath through this part of the globe.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cut a (wide) swath, to
To make a showy display, to attract attention. The term originated in America and comes from mowing, a “swath” being the amount cut by one big sweep of the scythe. It was transferred to human showoffs by the mid-nineteenth century. “How he was a strutting up the sidewalk—didn’t he cut a swath!” wrote Ann S. Stephens in High Life in New York (1843). It is heard less often today, but has not quite died out.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer