Fleshing and Flushing

bookWhat is the difference between: 

   “Let’s flesh out the details of the plan”

and

   “Let’s flush out the details of this plan”

?

These phrases are so often interchanged, and it bugs me!  So let’s figure this out.

Generally, you “flesh out” details, not “flush” them out.  Fleshing out is a phrase which comes from the art world, where you start with a skeletal body, and then “flesh out” the rest of the image – adding “flesh” to a skeleton.  Get it?

Flushing out means to bring out into the open; police may “flush out” a criminal from his hiding place behind the toilet.  I’m not sure what it would mean to “flush out the details of the plan” – somehow the details are in hiding, waiting to be revealed, and you’re going to scare them into the public?

Here are some bloggers that I hope will read this!
Travis Killion
The Simple Millionaire
Aaron @ PrimeAdvertising
Zoe

Sorry for being a word snob.

One thought on “Fleshing and Flushing

  • November 1, 2007 at 2:33 pm
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    It is interesting how some phrases get used without the conscious effort to make distinctions. I went to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fleshed and the first definition for “fleshed” is “To give substance or detail to; fill out:” Thank you for the feedback.

    Reply

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