Fleshing Out and Flushing Out

Fleshing Out and Flushing Out Fleshing Out and Flushing Out Fleshing Out and Flushing Out By Maeve Maddox Suzanne Baal notes: [an] error that Ive been hearing lately is flesh it out vs flush it out. I couldnt find any examples on the web of flesh it out being confused with flush it out, but I did find numerous comments made by people who say theyve heard the error: My last two bosses always talked of flushing out plans I never took the opportunity to correct them (and neither did anyone else, apparently). It drives me nuts when people use phrases that they dont understand! †¦one of my lecturers often interchanges them [flesh out and flush out] though its obvious hes meaning flesh out. I hear this CONSTANTLY among my colleagues and can hardly sit still and not correct them. Flush, this flush thatthey mean flesh!!! In the discussions I browsed, many of the commentators seemed to associate only one meaning with flush, that of flushing a toilet. Flesh Out vs. Flush OutEither way its disgusting Heres the thingflush it out only makes sense if your getting rid of something, and start all over. First, lets look at the expression to flesh out. As a verb, flesh has several meanings, but in the figurative phrase to flesh out, it means to add details to something that exists only in a preliminary, incomplete form. The metaphor is that of a skeleton or framework being built up with flesh or clay. To flesh out the complex arrangements, several studio musicians were brought in to read a heavily doctored score I remember saying I would do some character designs and begin to perhaps flesh out some ideas in writing for the beginning of the new story arc. OConnor has fleshed out his sound to create something truly inspiring The OED has ten entries for the word flush. Here Im concerned with only two meanings of flush as a verb. Flush, in the sense of moving water, comes from a Latin verb meaning to flow. We use it to mean to cause water to flow, as in flushing the toilet. Let children flush the toilet †¦so they arent afraid of the noise. Do not teach your cat to flush Flush can also mean to cleanse, usually by a rush of water. I was told that we need to flush out our coolant†¦ †¦products that remove ear wax may include a rubberized bulb for flushing out residue. This diet flushed out whatever was going on, Another meaning of flush is to cause to fly up This flush is not connected with the Latin word for to flow. Its origin is uncertain. It could be a imitative of the sound of rustling wings. In pheasant hunting, the hiding birds are flushed by men called beaters. Like me, youve probably seen movies with scenes set on English country estates where the local farmers form a line to flush the birds so that the gentry can shoot at them. †¦they waited for an almost solid line of beaters to flush the game toward them. †¦most woodcock shooting in Ireland is of the walked-up variety where it is more likely that birds will be flushed in groups rather than individually. The hunting term flush is often used figuratively: Robbers Flushed Out After Gun Battle With Police CIA chief hopeful of flushing out Osama This headline plays on the meaning of both kinds of flush: Cops Flush Out Suspect from Sewage Hideout To sum up: You flesh out a plan. You flush toilets and flush out toxins. You flush out game or people who are in hiding. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good WithOn Behalf Of vs. In Behalf Of20 Tips to Improve your Writing Productivity