take a big swallow

Informally it is OK, meaning to swallow a large quantity of something at once (or make the muscle movements as if doing so).

Thank you. In what states of feeling do you use this? When shocked ?

messier42 Thank you. In what states of feeling do you use this? When shocked ?

I thought of someone literally swallowing something. E.g., said to a child who had to take some medicine, "Take a big swallow!"

For emotional states, "swallow hard" seems more likely to me.

This is grammatical, but would rarely be used. The implication is of a threatening situation, like if you're being forced to drink a lot of something you don't want to drink.

AnonymousThe implication is of a threatening situation, like if you're being forced to drink a lot of something you don't want to drink.

I don't use it that way. There is no force involved.
It could be that the person is thirsty, or likes the drink a lot.

He took a big swallow of his beer.

Also, I forgot to mention, "take a big gulp" is more common when referring to liquids.