Language: en
Meaning: (chieflyUS)Toclearabroadtrackthrough agrassland,woodland,geographicalregion, or otherarea, either bynaturalmeans or byhumanaction.1876, William Swinton,A Condensed School History of the United States, Ivison, Blakeman, and Taylor (New York), p. 277:Sherman started from Atlanta in the middle of November. Hecut a wide swathof desolation through the South.1914,Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 6, inAt the Earth's Core:Swinging his bloody horns from side to side the beastcut a wide swathbefore him.2004April 21, “8 bodies pulled from twister-hit Illinois tavern”, inmsnbc:The twistercut a wide swathof destruction in Utica, a town of 2,000 people about 90 miles southwest of Chicago.; (chieflyUS,figuratively,idiomatic)Tobehavein anexpansive,flagrantlyshowy, orpushymanner, especially inpublicvenues; to exertsweepinginfluence.1899, Delight Sweetser Prentiss,One Way Round the World, 2nd edition, Bowen-Merrill, page124:Girls who like tocut a wide swathought to come out to China, for they will have enough flattery and attention to turn their heads.1924, "Method in Kindness,"Time, 21 Jan., quoting theDaily News(Manhattan):During the two years that he [the Count]cut a wide swathin the city [Berlin] his name was constantly associated with that of some dancer, actress or other woman whose notoriety drew more attention than her talent.1998, Jeff Goldsmith, “Columbia/HCA: A Failure of Leadership”, inHealth Affairs, volume17, number 2, page27:The company certainlycut a wide swathin a conservative industry.2004August 15, Gary Marx, “Venezuelans head to polls in president's recall election”, inSan Diego Union Tribune:With his signature red beret and class-based rhetoric, president Hugo Chavez hascut a wide swaththrough this oil-rich but impoverished nation.
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