Joblessness fell in the 1980's, even as great swatches of the machine tool, photocopying and computer chip industries deserted America.

With power out in great swatches of San Francisco, cars moved through crowded intersections, graciously giving way to each other.

The spotlights coming on all at once, spangling the night, eating up the darkness in great, awful swatches.

Two great swatches of creeper had been pulled from the wall, and hung raggedly down.

It ripped out a great swatch of her hair with its rotting beak.

His vision swept along great swatches of the city, across the parks, the buildings, the great roads.

The paint was laid on, not in Constable's translucent perfection, but in great swatches of dramatic color.

The sky was a great swatch of blue-black velvet, with the stars' diamonds tossed carelessly across it.

For minutes at a time the sea turned a brilliant green as they passed over great swatches of vine.

Instead, Updike seemed almost to be laughing at him, as if he knew the whole tale was nothing but a great big swatch of whole cloth.