to cut a swath
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To make an impression. An American colloquialism usually used in the negative. A swath is the amount of grass or crop cut down with one sweep of a scythe.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to cut a swath” mean?
To make an impression. An American colloquialism usually used in the negative. A swath is the amount of grass or crop cut down with one sweep of a scythe.
Is “to cut a swath” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.