

At one fell swoop - BudVVeezer
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/at-one-fell-swoop.html

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vehementi
I always hear "in one fell swoop"

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bitwize
I knew that "fell" as an adjective meant "terrible" (exposure to a computer
RPG that had a "fell beast" as an enemy type helped); so I kind of guessed
that if you do everything "in one fell swoop" it means with one terrible,
indiscriminate strike.

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hcrisp
"Fell beast" is a phrase J. R. R Tolkien used in The Lord of the Rings [1],
probably owing to his study of medieval literature. The more current usage may
have stemmed from reading his works. [1]
[http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Fell_beasts](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Fell_beasts)

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fit2rule
Did you not read the article?

It is clearly Shakespeare who popularized - if not outright invented - the
term.

Shakespeare owns the English language. No single author has done as much to
contribute to its continued confabulation.

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hcrisp
I meant Tolkien may have originated the term "fell beast", not "fell" in
general.

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BorisMelnik
Interesting, I've been saying this for a long time without even knowing what
it was. I think I said "in one fall swoop" TIL I guess.

