swathe

cut a swath through (something)

To cause a lot of damage or suffering in a specific area or population. It seems that the high winds cut a swath through our neighborhood last night, blowing down trees and power lines on nearly every street. Severe malnourishment has certainly cut a swath through this part of the globe.
See also: cut, swath, through

swathe (someone or something) in (something)

To wrap, bind, or drape someone or something in something. Often used in passive constructions. I swathed her ankle in bandaging to keep it from swelling up. Statues around the city have all been swathed in black sheets as a form of protest by activists. The room is swathed in calming shades of blue and green to help put patients at ease.
See also: swathe

swathe (someone or something) with (something)

To wrap, bind, or drape someone or something with something. Often used with passive constructions. I swathed her ankle with bandaging to keep it from swelling up. Statues around the city have all been swathed with black sheets as a form of protest by activists. The room is swathed with calming shades of blue and green to help put patients at ease.
See also: swathe
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

swathe someone or something in something

to wrap or drape someone or something in something. Molly swathed her children in sheets to turn them into ghosts on Halloween. She swathed the statue in black velvet for the unveiling ceremony.
See also: swathe

swathe someone or something with something

to wrap or drape someone or something with something. The sculptor swathed his unfinished pieces with heavy drapes. The designer swathed the window with billows of taffeta.
See also: swathe
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

cut a swathe through

pass through something causing great damage, destruction, or change.
A swathe was the area cut by a single sweep of a mower's scythe, and so the width of a strip of grass or corn cut in this way.
See also: cut, swathe, through
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

cut a ˈswathe through something

(of a person, fire, etc.) pass through a particular area destroying a large part of it: The new road cut a swathe through the countryside.
A swathe was the area of grass, etc. cut by one movement of a scythe (= a curved tool used for cutting grass).
See also: cut, something, swathe, through
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

swathe in

v.
To wrap or bind with or as if with some bandages: The doctor swathed the patient's arm in gauze.
See also: swathe
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • cut a swath through (something)
  • cut a swathe through
  • cut a swathe through something
  • cut a wide swath
  • cut a (wide) swath
  • swath
  • cut a big swath
  • strike sail
  • cut a (wide) swath, to
  • make a martyr of (one)
References in periodicals archive
Take a chilled coupe or martini glass and flame all but one of the peel swathes by holding a match between the glass and the peel and squeezing the peel so the orange oils are directed towards the flame and the glass.
COCKTAIL HOUR
The rules cut out a swathe of people wishing to come back and make a contribution
Blue Skye thinking can bring isles' young back
True to the expression of the brand, the Yunes Swathe woman is effortlessly chic and confident and is subtly sophisticated.
Yunes Swathe, Luxury Fashion Brand Launched New Website
A large swathe of central Britain was warned to be ready for snow as a cold snap brings freezing temperatures in the leadup to the New Year.
It all just goes to snow... Latest forecast revives memories
Villagers in Glenelg and Poolewe watched as flames spread across swathes of nearby hillsides.
VILLAGES IN THE LINE OF FIRE
The commercial which features UK Supermodel Lala Daly and the beautiful Nofar Avigdor, takes you to an underground fight club scene where models representing Yunes Swathe's Rich and Empire bags are seen fighting for the ultimate prize.
When Fashion and Rock Collide- Yunes Swathe Rocks Out with Navegante for Latest Commercial
But it is unlikely to affect the swathe of enthusiasm for the great rolling waves of surface enjoyed by the international players.
Peter Cook: from London to Vienna via Paris and Norway--the style is international
So, from next year's FA Cup Final, just like in the old days, a nice, fat swathe of prime space will be taken up by, at best, half-interested neutrals and, at worst, hoorays henries.
Final word: Fans facing tickets snub at Wembley
And that's what enraged residents in a Cardiff suburb did yesterday in a desperate - and ultimately successful - salvo to prevent a swathe being cut through their beloved common.
Editorial Comment A blow for the people
Angry anti wind farm campaigners last night hit out at a study which concluded that a swathe of Northumberland moorland is capable of accommodating two of the controversial projects.
Study is backing turbines
"The M6 Toll has recently cut a huge swathe through our green belt and development pressure attached to the road is a major threat."
Green belt 'being pushed to brink'
GOVERNMENT policies are mainly responsible for the swathe of Post Office closures hitting Wales, according to a Plaid Cymru councillor.
Councillor hits at PO closures
This central Asian range boasts more than 170 glaciers that together swathe about 436 square kilometers.
On thinning ice: are the world's glaciers in mortal danger?
A controversial plan to introduce road user charges for a huge swathe of southern England should be the subject of a feasibility study before any Government decision is made, a planning body said yesterday.
Road user study call
New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond did the real damage, cutting a swathe through Australia's batting line-up to capture five for 23 as the tourists ( beaten by England in each of their previous three one-day outings ( collapsed to 148 all out.
Cricket