Quickest way to delete enormous MySQL table

(As this turned up high in Google’s results, I thought a little more instruction might be handy.)

MySQL has a convenient way to create empty tables like existing tables, and an atomic table rename command. Together, this is a fast way to clear out data:

CREATE TABLE new_foo LIKE foo;

RENAME TABLE foo TO old_foo, new_foo TO foo;

DROP TABLE old_foo;

Done