Yea its stupid so what? So where did the term "Sweep" come from? I first heard this word in sports when the rockets beat orlando 4 straight. Can someone explain why we say sweep and not something else. Did they use the word sweep from battles in wars or something.
http://www.clichesite.com/content.asp?which=tip+2408 Cliché: Clean sweep Explanation: 1. To win every game of a series. 2. To win by winning all of the possible games that make up the match. Country: United States Origin:
b. U.S. To win every event in (a series of sporting events, etc.), or to take each of the main places in (a contest or event). [1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §650/7 Phlanx, sweep the event, to win all of the main events in all three first places in a meet.] 1960 Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 531/1 Sweep …v.t., to win a tournament without losing a game or contest. 1974 Greenville (S. Carolina) News 22 Apr. 15/1, I didn't think either team would sweep this series. 1979 Tucson (Arizona) Citizen 20 Sept. 8d/3 Montreal swept a double~header from New York, 3–1 and 4–1. From OED, it seems the earliest reference to sweep series was 1942. As to why, I am not sure that can be answer'd.
