ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flesh out

idiom
Meaning

To complete; to create details from a basic outline, structure, or skeleton.


Examples
SIMPLE

I need to flesh out this idea before the meeting.

CONTEXTUAL

The writer had a good plot but needed to flesh out the characters to make them believable.

COMPLEX

The committee approved the proposal in principle, giving the team three weeks to flesh out the financial projections and implementation timeline.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    become one flesh

    To join together in marriage; to develop a unifying bond as a result of marrying.

  2. 02

    exchange flesh

    To engage in sexual intercourse.

  3. 03

    flesh one's maiden sword

    To experience or succeed in combat or struggle for the first time, as in the military or in politics.

  4. 04

    neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring

    Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options”).

  5. 05

    one flesh

    Two people united by marriage.

  6. 06

    pound of flesh

    Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.

  7. 07

    press the flesh

    To shake hands and socialize, especially in a political gathering.

  8. 08

    thorn in the flesh

    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

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