cut a wide swath

Idioms & Phrases

cut a wide swath

Draw a lot of attention, make a considerable display, as in Although he was new to the company, he cut a wide swath. This metaphoric use of making a big sweep of the scythe in cutting grass survives despite the mechanization of farming and the declining use of the noun swath. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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