Why does there always seem to be a confusion between the two phrases 'flush out' and 'flesh out'? Captivate.com (that little news flasher in most elevators) agreed with me a couple of weeks back when they did mention that these two were the most frequently confused among phrases at the work place.
The conflict revolves around the usage of a common phrase we hear in business meetings: "Yes, we can fl_sh that out and report back to you at our meeting next week."
Was that, "flesh that out"? or "flush that out"?
People say it so fast! I heard my counterpart slur it, maybe on purpose out of self doubt.
One of my friends chimed in on the topic one day, insistent that the correct usage is "flush."
I didn't believe him, I was in the "flesh" camp. I started asking everyone around for their opinion. (and you are welcome to express yours if you are clearly on one side or the other...). The consensus was that it is "flesh it out." As in, adding meat to the bones.
But when I later discussed this with one of my managers, she was of the opinion that it is "flush it out". Which again brought out all the confusion in my head.
Here's what my head tells me: "Flesh it out" refers to the fact that the idea is thin and that it needs more substance, i.e. add more flesh to the bones. It is more like a creative process, i.e., "lets give this more life, color, meat, paint a fence around it". "Flush it out" implies purging the idea because it is not promising, more on the lines of to uncover or eradicate something that is already there. Do you agree with me?
Personally, I think the phrase should temporarily be changed to:
"Let's flsh this out"
No vowels at all! Easier for everyone....
P.s.: Other commonly confused words which make me pull out my hair - "insure" vs "ensure"; "affect" vs "effect"; "better then" vs "better than" (the former being grammatically incorrect too)
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3 comments:
You're totally right!! People who think its "flush" need to go flush themselves!!
Just kidding, of course. :-)
I agree with you. It IS flesh!
I never had to encounter flesh. But insure/ensure and affect/effect drove me nuts.
I decided I didn't have enough hair to pull out over these, so I stopped correcting people.
Of course that didn't stop me from getting together with like minded people and making fun of the ones who didn't get it :-)
lol - well that's what I do too - and then I feel guilty for making fun over some other's ignorance - sigh!
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