one swell foop

noun

Spoonerism of one fell swoop.

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Meanings

noun
  1. Spoonerism of one fell swoop.

    You have to pull it in, in one swell foop!.

    1988, Ralph Zumbro, Tank Sergeant, Pocket Books, page 114
    2 more examples

    Only one meal a week is required, thus doing away, at one swell foop, with cooks, scullions, stewards, butlers, waiters and other tip-extractors.

    1902, The Elwinkle Company, “Beesum: The New Battle Creek Bellytimber!“ (advertisement), The Philistine vol. 15 no. 3, The Society of Philistines

    If I can’t quite see how to do it all in one swell foop, I fall back on the principles of lazy programming: [...]

    2014, Michael Friendly, Advanced Logo: A Language for Learning, Psychology Press, Section 9.6.1
Cite this entry
APA

one swell foop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20swell%20foop

MLA

“one swell foop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20swell%20foop. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one swell foop,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20swell%20foop.

Source: one swell foop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.